Gareth Taylor says Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and new signing Kerolin could be available to start Sunday’s Barclays Women’s Super League clash with Arsenal.

The pair were both introduced as second half substitutes in City’s 4-2 WSL win over Aston Villa last week, the latter making her debut for the Blues in the process.

Shaw had been absent since early December, but Taylor says last season’s Golden Boot winner is edging closer to a full return as we prepare to face the Gunners at 12:00 (UK).

The boss added that City will be without Laura Coombs as she recovers from a thigh issue and, with a busy fixture period looming, minutes would be monitored across the squad.

Speaking on Kerolin and Shaw, Taylor said: “Both are pretty close [to starting]. Of course, when you go into this type of, three games in seven days it’s about working out the best way to do that.

CITY v ARSENAL MATCH PREVIEW 

“Viv [Miedema] is still at point where she probably can’t go 90 minutes after 90 minutes from where she’s been.

“We have good options and it’s kind of working out what that week looks like. We’re not looking too far ahead, we have an important game on Sunday.

“I saw some good things at Villa last week. They’re always a difficult opponent so to put four past them is very impressive, and not many teams do that.

“We lost [Laura] Coombs in the warm up, who won’t be available for the weekend unfortunately .

“But outside that the players who were introduced from the sidelines, [Aemu] Oyama, Kerolin, Bunny, okay Naomi [Layzell] wasn’t on the pitch, but they have more training under their belt which is good.

“Bunny is a bit further down the line as well, so it bodes well for the busy period coming up.”

Taylor also explained why loan signing Laura Wienroither was identified as an important target during the January transfer window.

The Austrian defender became City’s fourth and final signing when she joined on deadline day from Sunday’s opponents, Arsenal.

A versatile and reliable defender, the boss believes she’ll play a key role as the games come thick and fast for the Blues in four competitions.

“Well she’ll bring real cover initially,” Taylor said.

“As a player, obviously who has still been returning from an ACL [injury] just over a year ago.

“I think she’s a good player who is adaptable in a couple of positions. Can play both full back positions and potentially centre half as well.

“When we lost Risa [Shimizu] in the summer who we felt would fit that description for us, that was a bit of a blow.

“Being able to acquire this player, but also recognising we need to get her up to speed in terms of how we work and operate.

“We’re really pleased to bring that player here.”

City v Arsenal app coverage

As always, the official Man City app will keep you across all the action from the Joie Stadium, beginning with live updates, stats and analysis in our Matchday Centre from 10:30 (UK).

From kick-off, Alistair Mann and Karen Bardsley will provide live audio commentary, while those with push notifications turned on will also be alerted to all the key moments as they unfold.

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Soon after the final whistle, a match report and reaction from both Gareth Taylor and players alike can be accessed.

Highlights from the encounter, plus a CITY+ full-match replay will also be made available from 12:00 (UK) on Monday 3 February.