Sport Women’s Super League: Izzy Christiansen close to rejoining Everton from Lyon

England midfielder Izzy Christiansen is close to completing a move to Everton from European champions Lyon.

The 28-year-old former Manchester City player has been with the French club since July 2018.

Everton are fifth in the Women’s Super League with five wins from nine games so far this season.

Christiansen is one of four Lionesses with Lyon, where her contract runs until next summer, but she has been frustrated by limited playing time.

The move to Everton would see her rejoin the club with which she first played senior football after coming through Manchester United’s centre of excellence.

• Women’s Super League table

She missed out on a place in England’s 2019 Women’s World Cup squad after suffering a thigh injury shortly after recovering from ankle surgery.

Christiansen, who was part of the Lionesses squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro 2017, has made nine top-flight appearances for Lyon this season, and three in the Women’s Champions League.

But last month, in her most recent BBC Sport column, she admitted the past six months had been a “real struggle”.

She said: “We have a squad of 24 players, 22 of whom are internationals, and every week at least two internationals won’t even make the matchday squad of 18.

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“So training is ruthless – you cannot give the ball away, you cannot miss a chance.”

Right-back Lucy Bronze, left-back Alex Greenwood and winger Nikita Parris are the other England players with Lyon.

BBC Sport has launched #ChangeTheGame to showcase female athletes in a way they never have been before. Through more live women’s sport available to watch across the BBC in 2019, complemented by our journalism, we are aiming to turn up the volume on women’s sport and alter perceptions. Find out more here.

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