ACL injury confirmed for Arsenal star Miedema as Dutch striker prepares to undergo surgery

• Forced off in Champions League encounter
• Serious injury suffered against Lyon
• Long road to recovery alongside partner Mead

WHAT HAPPENED? The Netherlands international suffered a serious fitness setback at the Emirates Stadium on December 15. It has now been revealed that an operation will be required, with the prolific 26-year-old preparing to start out on a long road to recovery.

WHAT THEY SAID: Arsenal have said in a statement on the club’s official website: “We can confirm that Vivianne Miedema suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during our UEFA Women’s Champions League match against Lyon at Emirates Stadium on Thursday. Viv will undergo surgery in the coming days and will unfortunately be ruled out for an extended period of time. A more detailed timescale will be established once the operation is complete. Everyone at Arsenal wishes Viv well in her recovery and will be providing her with all the support she needs to return to action as soon as possible.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Miedema added in an emotional post on social media: “Absolutely gutted to share I’ve ruptured my ACL in our last game against Lyon. It was one of those moments, where I knew straight away. So many things going through your head: I won’t be able to help my team anymore this season, no World Cup, surgery and rehab for a long time. I won’t be telling you I’ll come back stronger or that I’m looking forward to spend the next however many months in the gym. It will be tough with plenty of difficult days (plenty of crying, which we’ve had a lot of already), but sadly enough it’s part of football.”

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Miedema’s partner, England international Beth Mead, suffered an ACL injury when turning out against Manchester United in November - so the pair will be recovering together – while the 2023 Women’s World Cup is not due to get underway until July 20, 2023.