'I'm not willing to take that risk' - Beth Mead's absence from England's Women's World Cup squad explained

• Mead not in England's World Cup squad
• Arsenal star was hopeful of being involved
• Wiegman not 'willing' to take 'risk' after injury

WHAT HAPPENED? Mead was left out of the list of players heading to this summer's tournament when it was announced on Wednesday, as she is still recovering from the devastating blow suffered in November. The Arsenal forward never gave up hope of making it to Australia and New Zealand but ultimately lost a tough race against time.

WHAT THEY SAID: Asked if there was ever a chance Mead could make the squad, Wiegman said: "No, I don’t think so. She's so positive and going well but the timescale she had, we would have taken so many risks to get to the World Cup.

"I'm not willing to take that risk to push her too much and she gets injured again. We need to take care of players."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Mead will not be England's only key absentee through injury this summer. Captain Leah Williamson also suffered an ACL injury in April and Chelsea star Fran Kirby announced she'd miss the World Cup in May, too. She also has a knee injury and hasn't played since February as a result.

IN TWO PHOTOS:

Getty

Getty Images

WHAT NEXT? Mead will hope to get through the final stages of her recovery while England are away this summer, in order to start the 2023-24 season strongly upon her return to action.