Beth Mead: Arsenal & England forward out with anterior cruciate ligament injury
- Published
Beth Mead looked tearful when she went off injured during stoppage time on Saturday
England forward Beth Mead will be out for "an extended period" after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, her club Arsenal said.
Mead, 27, sustained the injury late in Saturday's Women's Super League loss to Manchester United at Emirates Stadium.
She will see a surgeon in the coming days, after which further details on timescales will be established.
Mead helped England win Euro 2022 last summer, earning the Golden Boot and the Player of the Tournament awards.
She was also voted BBC Women's Footballer of the Year and was runner-up in the 2022 Ballon d'Or.
"Everyone at the club will now be supporting Beth and working hard to get her back on the pitch as soon as possible," Arsenal said in a Arsenal statement., external
The Gunners are second in the Women's Super League after playing seven games, with Mead having scored three goals and provided a team-high four assists.
Mead won her 50th cap for England during their 4-0 friendly win over Japan earlier this month and she has scored 29 goals for the Lionesses.
Beth Mead named BBC Women's Footballer of the Year 2022
Analysis - Huge blow for England
BBC Sport's Emma Sanders
This is a huge blow for Mead, Arsenal and England.
National coach Sarina Wiegman will be especially concerned given the World Cup kicks off in just eight months, and any full recovery from an ACL injury within that timeframe would be spectacular based on previous examples.
Mead was instrumental in the Euro 2022 victory - not just for her goalscoring, but also her threat as a creator.
England do have depth in attacking positions though, with Manchester City's Chloe Kelly in terrific form and an obvious choice to step in for Mead, whereas at Arsenal her loss may be more significant.
Only Aston Villa's Rachel Daly and Manchester City's Khadija Shaw have contributed to more goals in the Women's Super League this season than Mead.
The Gunners narrowly missed out on the title last season and are desperate to end Chelsea's run of three successive crowns. Their task has just been made even harder.
On a wider point, this is the latest in a long list of female players who have suffered ACL injuries. More research and education around prevention has been called for and this will push the conversations further.
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