Mariona Caldentey has been replaced in the Spain squad after suffering a hamstring injury during Arsenal Women’s defeat at Manchester City.
Mariona Caldentey has been replaced in the Spain squad after suffering a hamstring injury during Arsenal Women’s 4-2 defeat at Manchester City, with the initial assessment from Renée Slegers that the problem “didn’t look good, didn’t feel good”.
Caldentey was forced off shortly before half-time and replaced by Caitlin Foord after going down injured off the ball.
Slegers said after the game that Arsenal were still waiting for a full assessment and were unable to put a timescale on Caldentey’s absence.
“I have to check, but they have assessed her now and I think it was her hamstring and it didn’t look good, didn’t feel good,” she said. “But I’m not sure what the exact timeline will be, the exact assessment, we’ll have to wait.”
Caldentey has now withdrawn from Spain’s squad for two forthcoming friendlies against the United States, with Natalia Ramos of Liverpool called up in her place.
It is Ramos’s first senior Spain call-up after progressing through the country’s youth teams.
The Spanish Federation announced: “The national team, which will start its training camp this Monday at the facilities of the federation headquarters, will not be able to count on the Arsenal international, Mariona Caldentey, after causing a drop in the call-up. Sonia Bermúdez has called instead Natalia Ramos, midfielder of Liverpool FCW, who after standing out in the youth categories receives her first call with the absolute.”
Ramos joined Liverpool this summer after leaving UD Tenerife, becoming the first Tenerife footballer to play in the Premier League. She made 249 appearances for the Spanish club and scored 23 goals, including 10 in 2025/26.
Spain will play the United States twice during the international break between October 7 and 13. The first friendly is scheduled for Saturday, October 10, with the second in the early hours of Tuesday, October 13 into Wednesday, October 14.
For Arsenal, attention now turns to the precise nature of Caldentey’s hamstring injury.
Hamstring problems are generally classified by severity. Grade 1 is a mild muscle strain or pull, Grade 2 is a partial muscle tear and Grade 3 is a complete muscle tear.
Recovery time can vary considerably depending on the grade and whether the tendon is involved. The NHS notes that “Mild hamstring injuries usually get better in a few days” while “Severe hamstring injuries can take weeks or months to heal.”
Judging by how much pain Mariona seemed to be in as she received treatment on the pitch, and Slegers’ comments, we can probably rule out a Grade 1.
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