Former Manchester City players Ellen White and Jen Beattie, who both played under Taylor, have questioned the timing of the sacking.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live’s Women’s Football Weekly podcast, White said: “Very odd timing I would say – it’s super strange.

“I feel a bit sorry for him because [he has] a lot of injuries. But you’ve got to throw it back to the club at the same time to be like – are you invested into this team, where do you want this team to go?

“He could have gone months ago, last year potentially. I don’t think they’re in that bad a position at the moment. It’s just the weirdest timing ever.”

Beattie said it was the players she felt for most and the impact it has on their cup final preparation.

“It’s the timing for me, absolutely wild, five days before a cup final.

“I understand the decision making, but I do think the timing was really, really unfair on the players.”

Both White and Beattie worked under Cushing in his previous spell at City and believe he is the right choice to take the club forward.

“He understands what Man City is about, he understands the club, the expectations and he is a figure that a lot of people will know,” said White.

“I think he’s got some great ideas. He’s very diligent, he’s very tactical, he’s good at communication and he loves being on the grass. He’s a very, very good coach.”

Beattie played under Cushing for four seasons at City and was part of the WSL-winning side in 2016 and won two FA Cups and two League Cups under him.

“In my experience under Nick, Nick had this unbelievable ability to make you focus on the task in hand and to be able to shut out the noise,” she said.

“He will be able to take this chaotic time for the team, simplify it, and allow them to focus on the games.”