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Everton midfielder Fara Williams will be out of action for five weeks after suffering a thigh injury in England's World Cup quarter-final exit to France.

Williams, , played the full 120 minutes against the French.

She told : "After five weeks I'll be back playing.

"I've been told to rest and not do anything for a few weeks and try and get myself back. Whether I play in the next five weeks is very unlikely."

Williams added: "Going in to the tournament off the back of an injury and rushing to get myself back fit, it was a case of other muscles around the knee compensating for the knee.

"I then picked up a knock on my quad and found it difficult in the final game. I'd never not want to play for England, injury or not, I'll play if I'm called upon, which I did."

There were high expectations before the tournament that England could reach the semi-finals in Germany, but the ended their hopes.

Despite the set-back, Williams remains positive about the overall campaign.

"It's definitely a positive getting to the quarter-finals of a World Cup," Williams continued.

"The performance [in the win] against Japan was definitely a positive as was the fighting spirit we showed to come back in the New Zealand game, after coming from a goal down.

"The people who were probably on their last legs in the quarter-finals and lasting 120 minutes is certainly also a positive.

"A penalty shoot-out is pot-luck and at the end of the day, someone has to lose on penalties. Unfortunately it was us."