Beth Mead: How will Arsenal and England cope after forward’s ACL injury? | OneFootball

Beth Mead’s injury is not just heartbreaking on a personal level — it’s also the worst possible news for Arsenal and England.

The 27-year-old tore her anterior cruciate ligament against Man United in the WSL and will miss the rest of this season.

It’s a cruel turn of events for Mead, who has been in such fine form of late and is one of the best players on the planet right now.

Indeed, the forward finished second in the Women’s Ballon d’Or, despite being left out of Team GB’s Olympic squad for Tokyo only last year.

Having established herself as a pivotal weapon for both club and country, her long-term injury raises many questions for the Gunners and the Lionesses.

Do Arsenal have good enough squad depth to cope in her absence and which English winger is in pole position to start in place of Mead under Sarina Wiegman?

How will Arsenal cope without Beth Mead?

Since Jonas Eidevall took over Arsenal last year, Mead has been one of the first names on the teamsheet — which is saying something, given the Swede has the likes of Vivianne Miedema, Stina Blackstenius and Caitlin Foord at his disposal.

In terms of the most natural replacement for Mead, Lina Hurtig is the obvious choice. The Swedish forward was signed this season and can play on the right comfortably, though she is also injured right now.

Truthfully, injuries are prevalent all over the park for the Gunners currently, with Leah Williamson and Rafaelle out of action and Miedema being rested to prevent burnout.

So who replaces Mead in the short term? Katie McCabe has played on the wing before and could slot in. This would mean moving her from left back, but McCabe has proven herself to be extremely versatile.

Mana Iwabuchi is another option. The Japanese arrived last season with plenty of pedigree but has always been out of favour under Eidevall.

If this remains the case then the Gunners could well be forced to dip into the transfer market in January.

They are in a strong position in the league at the moment, despite losing to United and Eidevall will no doubt want more options at his disposal.

How will England fare with no Beth Mead?

Mead has also been crucial to England’s success across the past year and has more goals than any English player since Wiegman took over, with 21.

The Arsenal star also won the Golden Boot and the Player of the Tournament awards at Euro 2022.

Though her absence will be felt, the Lionesses are blessed with talented wingers, including Chloe Kelly, who scored the winner in the Euros final.

Lauren James is likewise capable of playing on the right and has been in brilliant form this season so far.

Another name to throw in the mix is Nikita Parris – a player who struggled for game time at Arsenal last year, owing to Mead’s success, but has been impressive for Man United in recent weeks.

World Cup.