Arsenal confirm devastating blow to Lionesses prospect Katie Reid with injury that continues to plague the women's game

Arsenal shared the devastating injury news about Reid in an official statement that read: "We can confirm that Katie Reid has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury during a recent training session. Katie will undergo surgery in the coming days and is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the 2025/26 season. Katie had enjoyed an impressive start to the season, making seven appearances for us and winning our Player of the Month award in September. Her fine form was rewarded with a first call-up to the England senior squad in October. Katie is being closely supported by our medical team at Sobha Realty Training Centre, and everyone at Arsenal looks forward to seeing her return to action as soon as possible."

The news continues the worrying trend of ACL injuries within women's football. Reid is the seventh WSL player to suffer such a problem this season, and it's still only November. Arsenal team-mate Manuela Zinsberger, Lionesses star Michelle Agyemang, and Tottenham's Maite Oroz have also been ruled out for the long term with ACL injuries and it's a problem that remains a major issue in the game. Reid's Arsenal team-mate Beth Mead has also previously suffered an ACL tear and spent almost a year on the sidelines before making a successful return.

Reid's injury comes at a time when she has been impressing for the Gunners. The 19-year-old won Arsenal's player of the month award for September and saw her impressive performances rewarded with a first call up to Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses squad. However, she subsequently withdrew due to a "small injury" and has now suffered a serious problem that will keep her out of the game for a long time.

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Reid has revealed her devastation at her injury in a post on social media. She posted on Instagram: "I am devastated to share that I have ruptured my ACL. There's been lots of tears and I am sure there will be many more to come, but I am extremely grateful for the love and support around me. The road to recovery starts now and I'll give my all to be back stronger."

The Arsenal star's friends and team-mates have been quick to offer support. Alessio Russo replied "the comeback will be incredible," while Leah Williamson added "you got this" and Agyemang wrote "with you all the way, my girl."

The prevalence of ACL injuries in women's football had led FIFA to fund research into whether hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles could be a factor. Female footballers are two to six times more likely than men to suffer an ACL injury and Simon Augustus, senior lecturer in sport biomechanics at Kingston University, is hoping to find out why.

He told BBC Sport: "We want to examine whether athletes may be more predisposed to injuries because of the functional changes in terms of their anatomy and physiology during the menstrual cycle. We know hormones fluctuate during different phases of the cycle but we don't yet know how much of an influence that may have on the risk of injury.

"We know some injuries are unavoidable, but we're attempting to help those individuals who injure their ACL outside of impact actions. Those are the ones where we might have more chance to intervene and prevent them from taking place by utilising strength training or tweaking technique. There are so many different factors involved with ACL injuries. We are starting to research this from an individual approach and look at an athlete's whole profile and putting protocols in place to reduce risk."

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