- Williamson to miss start of season
- England captain picked up knee issue at Euro 2025
- Has had surgery and will be absent as دوري كرة القدم للسيدات returns
Williamson limped off injured in extra time as England beat السويد in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals and although she was able to play in the subsequent wins over both إيطاليا and Spain as the Lionesses’ retained their European title, she sustained an issue which will now see her miss the start of the new Women’s الدوري السوبر موسم.
Williamson returned from her post-Euros break last week with her knee still swollen. Following a scan, the decision was made to have clean-up surgery which was successful. The issue is in the same knee affected by the 28-year-old’s devastating anterior cruciate ligament rupture in April 2023, which ruled her out of the كأس العالم and sidelined her for nine months. However, this problem is not believed to be linked to that.
While an exact timeline is not yet known, أرسنال expect Williamson to be missing for a few weeks rather than months. The Gunners don’t have the blockbuster start to the WSL season that other rivals do, beginning at home to newly-promoted London City Lionesses on September 6 before taking on وست هام the following weekend. However, their third game of the season is a trip to مانشستر يونايتد and their fifth is a return to the north west to face Manchester City. Arsenal’s دوري أبطال أوروبا title defence will then begin a few days after the latter fixture.
Arsenal will hope Williamson can be back in action for some of those particularly big games, given her quality and importance to the back line. However, the Gunners are at least well-stocked at centre-back, with Lotte Wubben-Moy, Laia Codina, Steph Catley and the young Katie Reid all options while their star defender recovers.
