Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall expressed his concern over the extent of England captain Leah Williamson’s injury after she was forced to come off in the defeat by Manchester United. The 26-year-old had fallen awkwardly while chasing possession and signalled to be replaced after just 15 minutes. Eidevall suggested that the pitch may have had an impact, saying “You see the pitch, it is a pitch that has a lot more to [be desired]. I think it’s going to continue here with the schedule we have and pitches like that, players are going to get injured. That is something that we all need to improve on, the facilities where we play, so we can keep the players on the pitch.” Williamson was able to walk off with support from a member of Arsenal’s medical staff, but the injury comes three months before England’s World Cup campaign begins on 22 July when the Lionesses face Haiti.
The injury will cause great concern to England manager Sarina Wiegman with less than 100 days to go until the World Cup. Arsenal have already been impacted by serious injuries to key players this season including captain Kim Little, Ballon d’Or runner-up Beth Mead and last season’s top scorer Vivianne Miedema. Eidevall said “We spoke about that before the game, that we have managed very well so far this season, having players missing. But I think with all things accumulating here, with suspended players and Leah [Williamson] coming off injured, it was one absence too many for us.” England are already expecting to travel to Australia without Mead due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and there are major doubts over Chelsea forward Fran Kirby’s availability having been out of action since February. Manchester United manager Marc Skinner said “Nobody wanted to see [Williamson go off injured]. I’ve seen her inside, she seemed in really high spirits. We obviously wish it’s something minor and just a precaution. We wish her all the best. We all want to see her lead the Lionesses in the summer.” Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Leigh Sports Village leaves them six points off WSL leaders United with five games remaining. They play Wolfsburg in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Sunday.
Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall “does not know” the extent of England captain Leah Williamson’s injury after she came off in the defeat by Manchester United on Wednesday. After falling awkwardly while chasing possession, Williamson immediately signalled to be replaced and was able to walk off with support from a member of Arsenal’s medical staff. Eidevall expressed his concern over the pitch, saying “You see the pitch, it is a pitch that has a lot more to [be desired]. I think it’s going to continue here with the schedule we have and pitches like that, players are going to get injured. That is something that we all need to improve on, the facilities where we play, so we can keep the players on the pitch.” The injury comes three months before England’s World Cup campaign begins on 22 July when the Lionesses face Haiti and will cause great concern to England manager Sarina Wiegman with less than 100 days to go until the tournament.
Arsenal have already been impacted by serious injuries to key players this season including captain Kim Little, Ballon d’Or runner-up Beth Mead and last season’s top scorer Vivianne Miedema. Eidevall said “We spoke about that before the game, that we have managed very well so far this season, having players missing. But I think with all things accumulating here, with suspended players and Leah [Williamson] coming off injured, it was one absence too many for us.” England are already expecting to travel to Australia without Mead due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and there are major doubts over Chelsea forward Fran Kirby’s availability having been out of action since February. Manchester United manager Marc Skinner said “Nobody wanted to see [Williamson go off injured]. I’ve seen her inside, she seemed in really high spirits. We obviously wish it’s something minor and just a precaution. We wish her all the best. We all want to see her lead the Lionesses in the summer.” Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Leigh Sports Village leaves them six points off WSL leaders United with five games remaining. They play Wolfsburg in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on Sunday.