England have confirmed Keira Walsh did not rupture her anterior cruciate ligament in the Lionesses’ 1-0 victory over Denmark and has not yet been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup.
Walsh crumpled to the floor in the 38th minute after her studs caught in the turf. The midfielder was seen mouthing the words ‘I’ve done my knee’ to England’s medical staff, before leaving the pitch on a stretcher.
Following a scan, it was confirmed that the injury was not as bad as first feared but she will not be available to play in England’s final group game against China on Tuesday.
While this comes as positive news for manager Sarina Wiegman, there is still concern Walsh will not recover in time to return for any potential knockout games.
England are already missing Leah Williamson, Beth Mead and Fran Kirby due to injury but losing Walsh for the remainder of the tournament would be a significant blow. The midfielder is a key player for the Lionesses, having missed just two games since October 2021.
Keira Walsh was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after injuring herself in the game’s first-half
The Barcelona player was seen sporting crutches, but England said it was not an ACL injury
Sarina Wiegman was adamant that England were prepared for the loss of their star midfielder
Wiegman, however, dismissed suggestions that she did not have a plan B for playing without Walsh.
Former Lionesses striker Ellen White said on the BBC that during last summer’s Euros they did not have a back-up plan if Walsh was unavailable. ‘Everything came through Keira, there wasn’t a plan B,’ White said.
‘I dreaded to think of the idea of us ever losing her because she was one of our best players.
‘Beth Mead was scoring all the goals but all of our play came through Keira. She was the key cog, everything moved through her.’
Wiegman brought on Manchester City midfielder Laura Coombs to replace Walsh and was irked by the suggestion she did not have a plan B.
‘You’re talking about the Euros,’ Wiegman said. ‘We’re now in a World Cup. You saw the plan B.’
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