Sofie Lundgaard Feared To Have Ruptured ACL
The Liverpool midfielder went down in immense pain during the first half of a win over Spurs. Manager Matt Beard fears a major ligament injury.
Sofie Lundgaard was handed her first start in the WSL this season when the Liverpool FC Women took on Spurs on Sunday. She was in the team due to Ceri Holland missing out through a foot injury. Thirty minutes into the first half, the Danish midfielder went down in obvious pain after a seemingly innocuous challenge. Players from both sides ran to Lundgaard as play was stopped and signaled for the training staff, and the midfielder was substituted off after several minutes of treatment on the pitch.
After the match, Liverpool manager Matt Beard said Lundgaard would undergo scans, but initial signs pointed to an ACL injury. Lundgaard suffered an MCL injury towards the end of last season as well.
“I’m gutted for Sofie. That’s the second time that has happened to her.”
“I think you could see the girls at half-time were visibly upset with the Sofie Lundgaard situation. I know [Marie] Höbinger put herself under pressure to win the game for her at half-time.”
While Liverpool went on to win the match 3-2 over Spurs, in large part due to the heroics of Höbinger, Beard will have a big midfield headache in upcoming matches. When Missy Bo Kearns made her surprise switch to Aston Villa and Liverpool did not bring in any additional depth at the position, any injury was going to leave the Reds shorthanded.
For now, Lundgaard is out indefinitely and Ceri Holland is expected to miss 2-3 weeks. Young midfielder Zara Shaw is also away with the England U17 national team, leaving just Fuka Nagano and Marie Höbinger as fit senior team midfielders on the squad. While Jasmine Matthews and Gemma Evans can both play in a holding role if needed, and newcomer Olivia Smith can play in a more advanced midfield role, Beard faces an issue of balance.
Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com
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