Alanna Kennedy says motivation from her City team-mates has aided her recovery as she waits to make her first start of the Barclays Women’s Super League season.

The game against Reading on Sunday will come too early as she continues her return to fitness from a shoulder injury that has kept her out of the side since the start of the campaign.

But the defender is close to a return and the Australian says she has learnt a lot from her time on the sidelines.

“Obviously, it’s just something you deal with as a player and each time you want to do what you can to stop it from happening again,” she said.

“It just makes you really appreciate looking after your body and wanting to get back out on the field.

“You miss the game, so I can’t wait to be back out there and contribute. It can be quite isolating at times, so it just makes you want to be at your best again.”

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Kennedy will link up with her Australia team-mates in the upcoming international break and says she can’t wait to get back onto the pitch.

“The one thing that’s been a constant from the time I came to the Club is the morale in the team,” she added.

“People always check in to see if you’re doing okay which definitely helps when you’re going through a setback.

“You just enjoy being out on the pitch, you want to enjoy those moments with your team-mates, so having them motivating you and helping you is always a good thing.”

City have conceded just once in our last four matches to move within six points of the WSL’s early pacesetters Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea.

While it will make it harder for Kennedy to regain her place in the side, she welcomes the extra quality in Gareth Taylor’s squad.

“We’re at one of the best Clubs in the world,” she added.

“You want to be able to have lots of good players in the same position and it’s always healthy competition.

“It’s great to see us bring in new faces and whether you’re playing one week but not the next we’ve still got a great team on the field every week.

“It’s only a good thing for us to better ourselves with the competition.”