The coach told the FA Maddie Cusack was a liar, an inquest heard.

The inquest heard that Cusack walked up to Morgan and hugged him on his first day at Sheffield United’s training ground.

Asked about Cusack’s lack of game time since joining the club, Morgan said she was still recovering from a foot injury she suffered when she first picked the side.

He went on to say that due to the form of other players, she was not selected until the fourth game.

Morgan told the inquiry that Cusack disclosed her relationship with Riglar to everyone on the team.

He said he joked about the two when they were on the practice field not long ago.

He said the women laughed at the probe and joked about his weight in return.

The coach was asked about his comments to Cusack during the meeting.

“She’s very muscular, she’s very tough,” Morgan said of telling the player to make the runs required of his style of football.

He said her strength and conditioning training had changed and her running time was “much better” by the end of the season.

Morgan said he began to see a difference in Cusack’s behavior in August 2023.

“She was a little more bubbly, less energetic,” he said.

Morgan said he arranged a meeting with Cusack on September 4, and then spoke to the club doctor about her health.

He told the doctor that he thought “something was bothering Maddie” and that she might need some help.

Earlier in the inquest, Cusack’s former team-mate told the court she had died. “Definitely preventable.”.

Nina Wilson, who is representing herself at the inquest, said Morgan had left many players feeling “ostracized and ostracised”.

The investigation is ongoing.