New Arsenal signing Smilla Holmberg made her Women’s FA Cup debut in unexpected circumstances on Sunday against Aston Villa.
Emily Fox was named in the starting line-up but had to go off injured midway through the first half – meaning Holmberg replaced her.
And the Swede caught the eye from the off with her pace and trickery, which pleased head coach Renee Slegers.
“I think, in general, she did so well,” Slegers said in the post-match press conference, according to Arseblog. “You’ve seen her come on against United and she did really well in that game.
“She trains really well, brings new, fresh ideas, new qualities and I’m really happy.
“It was, of course, a scenario that you have to plan for every scenario, but that Fox would have to come off early and then bring Smilla, but we were all very determined that when we bring Smilla on, she’s ready. So I’m really happy with her performance.
“She’s been doing really well, observing, learning, about the Arsenal way and how we do things. We are also bringing her ideas to what we do. So it’s been really good.”
Renee Slegers: The whole Arsenal team made an impact
That level of squad depth will prove important in the second half of the season as the Gunners continue to campaign in the UEFA Women’s Champions League alongside this week’s Subway Women’s League Cup semi-final against Manchester United plus the fifth round of the Women’s FA Cup.
“It is important and like we say, the role you play for the team, regardless of amount of minutes on the pitch, which of course every player is working towards, the whole team makes an impact,” Slegers went on.
“But if I look at today, the players that start for us and the players that come on for us, really good, and now we have two days to recover and get ready for United.”
