Emma Hayes says her United States side have shown they are “desperate to improve” since taking over as manager.

Hayes ended her 12-year stint as Chelsea boss at the end of the Women’s Super League season and quickly headed across the Atlantic to begin her new role.

She will take charge of her first game on Saturday, when the US play South Korea in a friendly at 22:00 BST.

The US exited last year’s Women’s World Cup at the quarter-final stage, having won the previous two editions, and Hayes has been brought in to help them return to their former heights.

She said her focus has been on “building trust” in her first few weeks while taking it “one step at a time”.

“The players’ learning has been unbelievable this week, their attention to detail, their thirst for knowledge, their application,” Hayes told a news conference on Friday.

“We all know they’re competitive. They’ve been incredibly studious all week and I’m really proud of the effort they’ve put in.”