Beth Mead could be absent for Sunderland Ladies' game against Everton tonight through injury, the Sunderland Echo have revealed.
Mead picked up the knock in the Lady Black Cats' 4-1 victory over Bristol Academy on Saturday, a game in which she added two goals to her season total before being subbed off in stoppage time.
England youth international on fire this season
The 20-year-old currently leads the scoring charts in WSL 1 and, as a result, it would be a huge blow for her side if she is to miss the game tonight.
Mead has scored 10 goals in the league this season in just eight games - which includes a telling hat-trick in Sunderland's 4-0 victory over then league leaders Chelsea, which played a significant role in taking the Black Cats to the summit of the division themselves.
The incredible form she is in has led to her manager, Carlton Fairweather, suggesting that the youngster deserves a full England call-up, having only been capped at youth levels so far, and he is not the only one calling for this either.
Mead looking forward to Everton test
Still, Mead is yet to open her account in the FA WSL Continental Cup, despite her playing an important role in her side's winner against Durham in their only game of the campaign thus far, and she spoke to the FAWSL website earlier this week about how much she was looking forward to the Everton game.
The striker is thrilled with the "massive momentum" that Sunderland have picked up and wants to "keep the ball rolling" in the cup as well as the league. She is relishing the "tough" task that Everton present with "a lot of [players] in the England [youth] setup" who carry "[experience]...despite their age."
Mead also stated that she was looking forward to the home advantage that her team would have, given that Sunderland have attracted a number of large crowds since the Women's World Cup.
Sunderland could also be short at the back
As well as the potential of missing Mead, the Lady Black Cats could also be without two of their regular defenders tonight, with Abby Holmes and Victoria Williams also struggling with knocks.
Holmes has a groin problem and Williams a thigh injury, and both would be huge absences given that they have both started all eight of Sunderland's league games this year.