Arsenal dealt huge blow as Women's Champions League hero suffers dreaded ACL injury

Zinsberger hadn’t featured this season, having lost the starting spot to summer signing Daphne van Domselaar. She was eager to fight her way back into contention, but those hopes have been cruelly dashed. She now faces months on the sidelines and is staring at a long road to recovery that could potentially rule her out for the rest of the campaign. Having joined from Bayern Munich in 2019, the Austria international was instrumental in the Women’s Champions League triumph last season, featuring in eight matches as Arsenal claimed European glory.

In a statement, the club said: "Manuela is being closely supported by our medical team at Sobha Realty Training Centre, and everyone at Arsenal looks forward to seeing her return to action as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, Austria head coach Alexander Schriebl paid tribute to his captain’s influence, saying: "I'm incredibly sorry for Manuela. With her absence, we're not only losing a top performer, but also a role model for many. We'll offer her all the support we can on her way back and hope that her recovery process goes as smoothly as possible."

Arsenal have already spent the past year coping without Leah Williamson, who herself suffered a serious knee injury. She hasn’t featured since undergoing surgery following a knee issue picked up during England’s Euro 2025 triumph. Despite bravely captaining the Lionesses to back-to-back European titles in Switzerland, the injury required a clean-up operation in August, forcing her to miss the start of the new WSL season. But the 27-year-old has now returned to the training pitch for the first time since her procedure, and is gearing up to make her long-awaited comeback.

"She's progressing well," Slegers said. "She did her first session on pitch yesterday, which was good. Exact timeline, we'll have to see day by day, week by week, but we hope to see her back before Christmas. That will be great. But then everything has to go to plan."

While Williamson has been missed, her absence has opened the door for a new star, with the 19-year-old Katie Reid being nothing short of sensational since stepping into the backline. Having earned Williamson’s public admiration in the past, Reid is now a regular in Arsenal’s defence. She was rewarded for her consistency when she earned her first senior England call-up this week. "It's a joy to play next to her," Emily Fox said while lavishing praise on Reid. "It's so easy, just in a sense that she does her role so well and makes my job easier. I think she just has so many capabilities and strengths, defensively and in the attack, in terms of her composure and ball control. In some ways, we're not surprised that she got the call-up. She's been playing so well, stepped up into the role really well."

Despite a much-needed 2–0 victory in Portugal, Arsenal’s start to the season has been far from smooth. Goals from Beth Mead and Alessia Russo earned them the three points, but the performance was anything but convincing. It was a laboured display which showed that the team was still searching for rhythm. Before that win, Arsenal had managed just two victories in their previous five league outings. With three wins, two draws, and one defeat from six league matches, Slegers’ side sit in dangerous territory. Although not quite in crisis, this is far from the dominance fans have come to expect. The international break comes as a timely pause, as it provides a chance to regroup before a brutal run of fixtures. The coming weeks could define Arsenal’s season. The Gunners face Chelsea in a blockbuster WSL clash on November 8, followed by Champions League battles with Bayern Munich (Nov 12) and Real Madrid (Nov 19). They also have the north London derby against Tottenham on November 16 to deal with.