Mead set to miss Women’s World Cup due to knee injury, says Wiegman
Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead is set to miss this year’s football Women’s World Cup Down Under, England head coach Sarina Wiegman said yesterday.
The 27-year-old Arsenal forward suffered a knee injury (ACL) in November 2022 and is unlikely to be ready to travel down to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in July.
“It’s being realistic, and she was very realistic,” said Wiegman.
“What we said now is, she’s not in our plans now, just to really take the time to get back well,” she added.
“If a miracle happens and she goes [through recovery] so fast, we will reconsider it, but at this moment I don’t expect that.”
England are in Group D alongside Haiti, Denmark and China and will play their first match on 22 July against Haiti in Brisbane.
The Lionesses’s second match against Denmark will be in Sydney and their third will be against China in Adelaide.
“She’s done really well in her rehabilitation. But if you look at the timescale you normally have with an injury like this she would not make the World Cup,” Wiegman told BBC Sport.
“We had that discussion. We’re not going to push or take risks that will cause this injury again. Of course she wants to play, but she knows.”
England face Brazil in the Women’s Finalissima next Thursday in a battle between the defending European and South American champions.
The match at Wembley on 6 April is sold out.
Thereafter the Lionesses will face Australia at Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium.
Elsewhere Aston Villa goalkeeper Hanna Hampton earned a recall to the squad but Beth England misses out on the 25-woman sport.