Gabby George: Man Utd Women confirm defender suffered ACL injury in draw against Leicester

Man Utd Women have confirmed defender Gabby George suffered an ACL injury in Sunday's 1-1 draw against Leicester.

George hobbled off the pitch early on at Leigh Sports Village, with manager Marc Skinner estimating she will be sidelined for 12 months.

Speaking to MUTV, he said: "It's an ACL. There are different levels of ACLs. She goes in today for an operation.

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"I would always put 12 months on this sort of injury. She could come back sooner, but I would rather work back. That's the sensible way to prepare, working backwards.

"We will support her and give her the best treatment and we will make sure that she comes back from that stronger and even better than she was before.

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"I asked Gabby if there was anything we could do and she said 'Can you win in Paris?' and we will certainly try our best."

George suffered the same injury playing for Everton in 2020 and was sidelined for a year.

George also released a statement on social media, saying: "This one really does hurt. The welcome home has been bigger and better than I could have imagined.

"I promise to give my all during recovery to come back stronger. I've done it once and I will do it again. Stick with me, I have so much more to give. I'm surrounded by the best support system I could ask for and that's what's important to me right now.

"Thank you for all your love, Reds. I'll be joining you being a crazy fan and supporting the team. See you soon!"

The injury comes ahead of Man Utd's Champions League qualifier second leg against PSG on Wednesday evening. The score is currently 1-1 on aggregate.

George was a summer signing for Man Utd from Everton, and had made four appearances so far. The defender was due to face her former side in the WSL on Sunday.

The 26-year-old joins Man Utd midfield Emma Watson in the treatment room, who also injured her ACL on international duty with Scotland last month.

Real Madrid's Caroline Weir also ruptured the same ligament, while high-profile WSL players such as Leah Williamson and Vivianne Miedema are continuing their rehabilitation after ACL injuries last season.

Arsenal and England winger Beth Mead made her return from an ACL injury on Sunday, coming on in the 88th minute against Aston Villa. She assisted Alessia Russo's winner.

Future of Football: The future of ACL injuries: Causes, myths & solutions

It is the hottest topic in the women's game - but not for welcome reasons. Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are creating havoc within sport, depriving top competitions and tournaments of some of the world's best players.

The list of sufferers is long and the issue is far more complex than even medical experts and specialists in the field profess to understand.

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Female footballers are living in fear, with the problem being anecdotally described as an 'epidemic'.

The stats are exposing. Football injuries account for nearly half of all ACL reconstructions performed in the UK. They have the highest recovery burden, and account for nearly one-third of all playing time lost due to injury.

Head here to read more about ACL injuries in women's football and how they can be treated going forward.

Skinner: We are confident ahead of PSG second leg

Man Utd's Champions League second leg will be played at PSG's imposing Parc des Princes stadium, but Skinner says his side are confident heading into one of the biggest games in their history.

"What I feel is that we have the experience to go into big stadiums and big games," he said.

"We have the ability to adapt and evolve in the game. It is going to be an exciting game because Paris Saint-Germain are going to attack us and we know that.

"We have to make sure that we repel that and we have to be on point when we are attacking. I trust and believe in us that we are going into this game knowing that we have to win so we are going to go and win.

"I don't think this team fears anyone, that's the beauty of this team. We excel in situations that we should fear and that's what makes us great.

"We feel that we are very confident in our ability. I think if you go in thinking you're favourites or being favourites then you adapt and play slightly differently.

"Our players are very good and aware of their capabilities and they should.

"We are going to go into this game against a very difficult team knowing that we can win the game but we will not put ourselves in the 'favourite' mindset. I think that can make you complacent.

"We are going to go in and give it everything to progress. We are going in confident."

Man Utd's next six fixtures

Wednesday October 18 - PSG (a), Champions League, kick-off 7pm

Sunday October 22 - Everton (a), WSL, kick-off 1pm

Sunday November 5 - Brighton (a), WSL, kick-off 6.45pm, live on Sky Sports

Sunday November 12 - West Ham (h), WSL, kick-off 12pm

Sunday November 19 - Man City (h), WSL, kick-off 4.30pm, live on Sky Sports

Sunday November 26 - Bristol City (a), WSL, kick-off 2pm

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