Renee Slegers has confirmed a significant injury blow ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Brighton, with Beth Mead set for a spell on the sidelines.
Renee Slegers has confirmed that Beth Mead has suffered a hairline fracture in her shin, ruling the winger out of Arsenal’s upcoming block of fixtures.
Mead was withdrawn after 68 minutes of last Sunday’s 1-0 win over Women’s Super League leaders Man City. She was later seen wearing a protective boot.
Initially, Slegers said: “I think we can communicate more later in the week. She’s just played and there’s medical assessments, but when we know more, we’ll communicate more.”
After travelling to Belgium midweek, Slegers confirmed Mead had not joined the squad for the first leg of the Champions League play off tie against OH Leuven. “Beth needs some time to offload her shin,” she explained at the time.
Now, ahead of the league trip to Brighton this weekend, the full extent of the injury has been made clear.
“Beth will be out for the block,” Slegers said. “She he has a hairline fracture in her shin, so she will be out for the block.”
The timeframe suggests a potential return after the next international break in mid March. Mead has one goal and five assists in 14 WSL games this season with another three goals and three assists in six Champions League games.
Slegers also provided an update on Anneke Borbe, who remains under concussion protocol following her collision in the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup.
“Neke is still on assessment, so we have one more training to go,” Slegers said. “She’s progressing well, so we’ll see if she makes it, see how she responds today and how she goes tomorrow.”
Arsenal will additionally be without Taylor Hinds, who has a foot injury, while Manuela Zinsberger, Katie Reid and Michelle Agyemang continue their recoveries from ACL injuries.