It was announced earlier on Friday that Ji will be leaving Chelsea at the end of the season after eight years with the Blues.

Speaking to the media in a press conference at Cobham this afternoon, Hayes paid tribute to our No.10, saying: ‘Ji has been a part of this family for eight years.

'She’s watched this club grow from semi-professional status to full-time status, to Champions League finalists, serial winners domestically and she’s been a key part of that.

‘I will miss her. I have a great relationship with Ji and we’ve had some tough conversations over the last few months but I think it’s important to remember that Ji has without a doubt been the best international player in the WSL ever. She really has.

‘Ji goes with our blessing and I think the time is right for her to live another challenge and I know that we leave each other in the best possible place because she is very much and always will be a part of this family.’

Ji has 208 Chelsea appearances to her name and this number could grow to 211 with the Blues having three competitive games remaining this season.

The boss continued her heartfelt tribute to Ji, adding: ‘I have never seen a player like Ji in the women’s game, she has left such a massive stamp on my heart. She is an Emma Hayes footballer.

‘She is a dream to watch and Ji at her best, I don’t think there’s been anyone better in this country. I think she has won more trophies than most but it’s the way she plays football.

'She’s mesmerising to watch and I’m so, so grateful for everything she’s done for me personally because she stayed with the club at times when she could have maybe gone abroad and done other things but she placed her trust in me and in the club. That loyalty is what sets her apart and I’m going to miss her terribly as a human being.

‘It’s a new chapter for her and I’m excited for her and I know that it was an agonising decision but, I know Chelsea fans aren’t going to like this, I think it’s the right decision for her even if we lose an iconic figure.’

The Blues will be eyeing up a third consecutive WSL title and a second consecutive FA Cup final win this season and Hayes believes it would be the perfect send-off for Ji.

‘She’d be so deserving of that, she’s so well loved here,' added Hayes. 'Everybody will miss Ji; staff, players and it would be brilliant to be able to cap off her tenure with that type of thing.’

Hayes is preparing her side to take on Birmingham City in the Barclays FA Women’s Super League this weekend. The Blues currently sit top of the WSL with two league games remaining, starting with a trip to the Midlands on Sunday.

The boss says her team won’t be underestimating the challenge Darren Carter’s side will present, despite being bottom of the league.

‘Everybody has to pay a bit more respect to Birmingham and the fact that they aren’t out of the division, they’ve been treated a little bit unfairly in that regard,' she continued.

‘They’re fighting for their lives and knowing Darren and his team, they will make this game dogged and difficult so they certainly won’t be underestimated by us.

‘It’s a very different opponent to Tottenham, but nonetheless one that’s going to do everything they can to take points off of us.’

The title race is as close as ever this year with Chelsea and Arsenal going toe-to-toe with for the majority of the season. Despite the Blues sitting at the top, Hayes is adamant her team aren’t thinking about lifting the trophy just yet.

‘Nobody wants to earn things easily in life,' she said. 'We want to work hard to get where we are. I always enjoy the process of competing to win. I like that we’ve found some real consistency in our performances especially in the second half of the season. I like that we have developed depth within the squad again. I think Chelsea’s future is bright.

‘I’ve been here so many times to know that nothing is won yet. We respect our opponents and no one is running away with themselves here. We just need to keep grinding every day because we’ve got another important game this week.’

Chelsea are in fine form heading into Sunday’s clash with Birmingham, with Sam Kerr and Bethany England both finding themselves on the scoresheet during yesterday’s win against Tottenham.

Earlier today, Kerr was named the Football Writers’ Association Women’s Footballer of the Year after another incredible season in blue. Hayes was full of praise for the Matildas striker, saying: ‘Sam’s record speaks for itself. Both internationally, whether she’s been in Chicago, for her national team Australia, her numbers here. Her goal contributions in whatever capacity are outstanding.

‘She has been consistent, she’s consistently improving. Her movement, the timing of her movement, I’ve never seen a forward with that quality before and I think she gets penalised. Even last night, the officials need to be better at recognising that Sam’s timing is really, really good, perhaps theirs is not. She gets penalised a lot for offside when she isn’t and that’s a gift - you can’t teach that.

'She’s got a natural ability to make the right runs and time the right runs and be in the right areas. There’s no question Sam Kerr is one of the best players I’ve ever coached.

‘I do think there’s more to come. There’s little details all the time that we’re asking her to work at. As I told her this morning, I think it’s a really prestigious award and one that she should be so proud of.

‘I know how important it is in this country and I think it’s completely deserving. She’s really produced goals in really key moments, especially the second half of the season. We’ve all come to expect that from Sam and she lives with the privilege and that pressure really, really well.

'She copes with it and thrives on to to be honest, I think she’s one of the coolest customers there is come game day. The bigger the opponent, the bigger the game, I think the better she gets.’

Sunday’s game against Birmingham kicks off at 6:45pm and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.