Keira Walsh added to England’s injury woes when she went down in the first half of the World Cup Group D game against Denmark.
Here Football Mad takes a look at some of the key players missing in England’s World Cup campaign.
Keira Walsh
Keira Walsh has picked up an injury and leaves the field on a stretcher. On comes Laura Coombs in her place.
Speedy recovery, @keira_walsh. We are with you ❤️ pic.twitter.com/VUW91slszV
— Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 28, 2023
Walsh stayed down after stretching to intercept a pass in midfield and could clearly be seen telling the team’s medical staff: “I’ve done my knee.”
Play was stopped immediately, despite it not being a head injury, and England’s midfield metronome was carried off on a stretcher after a period of treatment.
Laura Coombs took Walsh’s place as a substitute but a prolonged absence would be the latest significant blow to the Lionesses’ hopes of following up their European Championship win.
Leah Williamson
England captain Leah Williamson was ruled out of the World Cup after she ruptured her anterior cruciate knee ligament during Arsenal’s Women’s Super League defeat to Manchester United in April.
Like Walsh, Williamson appeared to catch her studs in the turf with no other player in close proximity.
A pillar at centre-back, Williamson has been an integral part of the England set-up and skippered the side to their first major trophy at Euro 2022.
Beth Mead
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Williamson joined a long injury list at Arsenal which includes fellow Lionesses favourite Beth Mead, who has been out with the same injury since November.
Mead caused havoc for opposition teams at last summer’s Euros, where she was named player of the tournament and was awarded the Golden Boot with six goals including a hat-trick in England’s 8-0 thrashing of Norway.
Fran Kirby
Kirby missed the tournament Down Under following a knee injury picked up in Chelsea’s Continental League Cup semi-final win at West Ham in February.
The midfielder started every game of last summer’s European Championship campaign – providing three assists and scoring two goals as the Lionesses won on home soil – and scored nine times for Chelsea in 16 appearances across all competitions last season.
