by Our Sports Desk

Manchester City and England striker Toni Duggan felt the need to apologise yesterday for posing for a photograph with Louis van Gaal in the wake of City’s derby defeat on Sunday.

The 23-year-old posted the harmless photo of herself and two teammates with the Manchester United boss at a restaurant on her Instagram account just hours after United’s 4-2 win at Old Trafford.

Duggan, who joined City from Everton in 2013 and has also made 16 appearances for England, was subjected to horrible abuse on social media after her posting, which she was forced to subsequently delete.

Duggan said: “I would like to apologise to all MCFC fans for the error of judgement I made last night.

“I now appreciate the significance of my actions and can assure everyone connected with Manchester City that I am proud to represent the club and wear the shirt.”

Duggan and her teammates were out celebrating City’s 3-1 win over Birmingham City in an FA Women’s Cup quarter-final which was also played on Sunday.

They will play Chelsea in the semi-finals, with the final being played in April.