Arsenal's Leah Williamson collapsed in pain in the 12th minute of Wednesday's game at Man Utd; She will now miss out on World Cup for England and is set to undergo surgery to repair her ACL; She is third Arsenal star to suffer ACL injury this season after Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema
Saturday 22 April 2023 11:07, UK
England captain Leah Williamson has said her "World Cup dream is over" after she ruptured ACL in Arsenal's defeat at Man Utd on Wednesday.
Arsenal have not put a timeframe on Williamson's recovery but ACL injuries typically rule players out for at least six months, and Williamson will be unable to lead the Lionesses at the Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which runs from July 20 to August 20.
Head coach Sarina Wiegman names her squad in late May and England's opening game is against Haiti on Saturday, July 22 in Brisbane.
Williamson is now the third key Arsenal player along with Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema to rupture cruciate ligaments this season, while captain Kim Little is also out with a hamstring problem as they look to add the WSL title and the Champions League to their League Cup success earlier in the season.
Williamson released a statement on social media saying: "Until I have the words to express my feelings properly, I will struggle to verbalise them. The noise around the situation is quite loud and I need some quiet to let it all sink in.
"Unfortunately the World Cup and Champions League dream is over for me and everyone will think that's the main focus, but it's the day to day of what I'm about to go through that is the most draining of my thoughts."
Less than two weeks prior to suffering the injury, she led England to the inaugural Finalissima trophy at Wembley, beating Brazil in a penalty shoot-out to land the second piece of silverware since Wiegman named her as captain ahead of last summer's Euros.
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall initially blamed the Man Utd pitch for Wednesday's incident and said he was unsure how long Williamson would be unavailable for, but in confirming the severity of her injury on Friday Arsenal have announced she will undergo surgery in 'due course'.
"Everyone at Arsenal will be supporting Leah closely throughout the journey ahead and we would ask that her privacy is respected at this time," the club said in a statement.
It is a major blow for England, who will also likely to be without Williamson's injured Arsenal team-mate Mead - top scorer and player of the tournament at Euro 2022 - for the World Cup.
England boss Wiegman said in March, when naming her most recent squad, Mead was unlikely to recover from her ACL injury in time to make her World Cup squad. Netherlands striker Miedema is also set to miss this summer's World Cup after sustaining her injury in December.
Well wishes have already begun to come in from around the WSL, with Man City boss Gareth Taylor telling his pre-match press conference: "It's not good for Leah or Arsenal or England. Best wishes go to Leah, it'll be a tough moment for her, especially at this stage of the season."
Meanwhile, the Lionesses may also have to contend with Millie Bright also returning to fitness as the World Cup begins. She has also been sidelined recently with a knee injury, and Chelsea boss Emma Hayes confirmed in a press conference on Friday that she would remain out "for weeks".
When pressed on what that means for Bright's World Cup hope, Hayes refused to elaborate on how many weeks that may be.
Chelsea boss Emma Hayes on Williamson's injury:
"It's devastating for the Lionesses and Arsenal to lose such a pivotal player, someone who has had a profound impact for both club and country. It's disappointing to see such a huge injury again.
"I've said this many times, it will take me too long to go through everything I think about ACLs. We need to stay away from lazy comments about the causes of these injuries.
"It's multi-faceted, there's a lot of reasons why these injuries happen and this is not the place to discuss it."
Sky Sports' Karen Carney:
"We'd all want her to be there at the World Cup. She's the captain and her football has been phenomenal. Her and Millie Bright have been fantastic as a partnership.
"It's not ideal at all but again, I go back to the game needing to find out more about why these injuries are consistently happening and why we are losing our best players to it. There's a lot more work that needs to be done because it is so prevalent now. We are losing our top players to ACL injuries, not just in England, but across the world.
"It's disappointing. Arsenal have to go on because they've got a massive game in the Champions League semi-final and England, they have to go into their depth.
"There are plenty of options at centre-back for Sarina Wiegman and it's now a case of the players stepping up.
"I believe they can and in Wiegman, the Lionesses have the best manager, and she will find a way because she usually does."
Manchester United forward Ella Toone told Soccer AM:
"We're all gutted for her and can't wait for her to be back. We're all with her.
"She's our captain, she's our leader. She was a massive part of our Euros-winning team, so we'll hopefully go out there and make her proud."
Sky Sports' Charlotte Marsh:
"If you're an Arsenal and England fan, the hits just keep on coming. The spectre of the ACL injury has reared its ugly head once again, taking down another big gun in Williamson.
"Let's start with the Gunners. Their grip on the title race is quickly slipping away.
"Not only have they been without their two key forwards in Mead and Vivianne Miedema - who were injured within a week of one another - for much of the season, they also recently had their captain, Kim Little, ruled out for the remainder of the campaign.
"Now, four days after Little's injury was announced, Williamson is also expected to be sidelined for much of the calendar year, let alone the season.
"The announcement also comes 48 hours ahead of Arsenal's Champions League semi-final first leg in Wolfsburg. Already a daunting task at the five-time finalists - who knocked them out in the quarter-finals last year - it will truly be a test of the Gunners' squad depth and resilience.
"England will be without their captain heading into a World Cup, in which they are one the favourites. Now, they have to try and win without two of their pillars last summer in Williamson and Mead.
"Sarina Wiegman has already ruled Mead out of contention and Williamson's centre-back partner, Millie Bright, has also struggled with injury in recent weeks, although is still expected to make the squad. Wiegman arguably had too many options for her Euro 2022-winning team, but now faces the task of piecing together a new XI.
"Could this too open the door again for Steph Houghton at international level? The Man City captain has spoken of her disappointment on missing out on England's squad last summer after returning from her own injury, and would be a reliable deputy for Williamson as both a player and a leader.
"But above all of this, it shows that without question, the women's game needs urgent and in-depth research into the impact of ACL injuries on players. This is not just a WSL or European issue - it is a global problem that needs addressing and correcting.
"The women's game is growing at an exponential rate, but research into the issues facing female athletes often remains behind the curve. It is the players who bear the brunt of these potentially career-ending injuries and more must be done to protect them."
Sky Sports News reporter Anton Toloui:
"You won't find a more respected player on the field and off the field than Williamson.
"On the field, she's seen as one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the World. She was named in the FIFPRO World XI for a reason this year.
"Her partnership for England with Millie Bright has been absolutely huge for the development of this Lionesses side and also going on to win the Euros.
"England will be missing out off the field too. Thrown in to being temporary England captain after an injury to Steph Houghton on the eve of Sarina Wiegman's first game in charge, Williamson just took it and ran with it.
"She developed a very modern approach to captaincy, did it her way and earned the respect of the players, the backroom staff, the fans and everyone associated with the Lionesses.
"England will be massively missing that. No team wants to lose a player of the quality of Williamson just three months before a major tournament."
Female footballers are up to six times more likely to suffer an ACL injury than their male counterparts, and Inside the WSL sat down with players, physios and doctors to try and find out why.
Unfortunately, it's not an uncommon sight to see a women's club announce a player will be sidelined with a ruptured ACL.
The issue also came to the fore during the summer's European Championships. Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas missed the tournament after rupturing her ACL just days before Spain's opening game. Simone Magill also picked up the same injury in Northern Ireland's opening game of the tournament against Norway, just days after signing for Aston Villa.
France striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto also limped off in their second group game against Belgium, having also ruptured her ACL. She had been one of the favourites to win the Euro 2022 Golden Boot.
You could keep reeling off the names of female players who have gone through the long process of ACL rehabilitation, but as yet, very little scientific research has been done into why women are more likely to suffer from the injury than men.
Speaking last month, Arsenal and England star Mead said she hoped there would be more research into ACL injuries in the women's game.
"It's important it's looked into and researched more for ACLs," she told FIFPRO. "Obviously my rehab so far is going really well. But yes, we're sitting down, reflecting and having time to actually sit down and chill a little bit.
"I think it is important for myself, and Viv [Miedema] also, who's going through the exact same thing as me right now.
"I think it's important that we as a collective try and get more done for ACLs and research into it. I think it is way too common in the women's game. If that ever happened in the men's game, a lot more would have been done sooner.
"It's important for us to drive the different factors and aspects around why it's happening so often and it will be something that we'll be delving into and pushing out there to try and get to the bottom of it."
