Arsenal forward has ‘no hopes’ of being fit in time for World Cup

Arsenal forward has ‘no hopes’ of being fit in time for World Cup

Ayoola Kelechi 09:41 - 03.04.2023

Arsenal and Netherlands star forward set to miss FIFA Women's World Cup

Arsenal’s Dutch forward Viviane Miedema has ruled herself out of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup after failing to recover from an ACL injury she suffered while playing in the FAWSL with the Gunners.

Superstar Miedema recovering from ACL rupture 

Miedema was meant to be one of the stars of the World Cup but has been unable to recover in time for a place in the Netherlands’ squad for the tournament after rupturing her ACL in December. 

Viviane Miedema was the second Arsenal player to suffer an ACL injury in just over a month (PA Images)
Viviane Miedema was the second Arsenal player to suffer an ACL injury in just over a month (PA Images)

Miedema is the highest goal-scorer in the history of both Arsenal and the Netherlands national team and is considered one of the best footballers in the world at the moment, so her absence from the World Cup will be a huge loss for the Dutch team as well as the competition as a whole. 

Miedema to miss the 2023 Women’s World Cup

The Arsenal forward spoke to the BBC recently, confirmed her absence from the World Cup later this year, and set a realistic date for her eventual return from the injury break. 

When asked about the possibility of returning before the Women’s World Cup in June, Miedema said, "No hopes. I'm definitely going to miss the World Cup which is a hard one. 

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The Dutch forward also set an estimated time for her return to full fitness, saying, "I'm hoping to be back for the beginning of next season. That's my focus right now - I need to be realistic.

“Recovery is going really well. It's slow but little steps."

In Miedema’s absence, the Netherlands will look to Paris Saint-Germain forward Lieke Martens for inspiration as they try to do better than their second-place finish at the 2019 World Cup this year. 

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