Carli Lloyd has sensationally joined Manchester City from Houston Dash for the duration of the Spring Series and Champions League campaign.

The 34 year old American International was voted the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2015 and is considered one of the three most high profile players in world women’s football.  Lloyd has made 232 appearances for the national team, scoring 96 goals, in a glittering career that has spanned 12 years and included scoring a hat-trick in the 2015 World Cup Final against Japan in Canada.  In addition Lloyd has collected Olympic gold at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

The deal will see Lloyd miss the first half of the NWSL season for the Houston Dash signing a similar deal as her national team mate Alex Morgan who has chosen to play for French club Lyon.  Lloyd joins fellow USA teammate Crystal Dunn in WSL who joined Arsenal from Washington Spirit in December.

The Houston Dash will not receive a transfer fee for Lloyd as the midfielders salary is paid by U.S. Soccer and has made just 17 appearances since joining them in 2015 from Western New York Flash where she scored 16 goals in 34 appearances in two seasons.

Lloyd will wear the number 10 shirt vacated by Daphne Corboz who recently returned to America to sign for Sky Blue FC.