Borehamwood, England, March 12th 2023: Leah Williamson (6 Arsenal) in action during the Womens Super League game between
Arsenal and Reading at Meadow Park in Borehamwood, England (Dylan Clinton/SPP)
Arsenal head coach Renee Slegers has confirmed that England captain Leah Williamson will most likely miss Saturday’s Women’s Super League clash with West Ham United.
The centre half is nursing a hamstring issue, Slegers said in a press conference on Friday.
The Gunners will also probably be without Frida Maanum, who is ill.
“Frida Maanum has been ill this week, so we don’t expect her to be able to play tomorrow,” Slegers said.
“Leah has been managing some problems with her hamstring, so don’t expect her to be ready for tomorrow, but otherwise [the squad is] the same.”
Renee Slegers: Arsenal are always trying to be better
Arsenal sit fourth in the WSL table with two games in hand over third-placed Manchester United, and are still in both the Women’s FA Cup and the UEFA Women’s Champions League – a trophy they are defending after last season’s success in Lisbon.
And Slegers hopes for a strong end to this campaign.
“We’re not at the end yet, so we’re constantly reflecting and trying to learn, and like I said, trying to find those small margins to become better. I think you always go through stages with your team – we’ve gone through different stages – what I’m really proud of is what we’ve just spoken about, our humility as a team to bounce back, do the humble actions, and always try to learn and be better. That’s one of the big strengths of this team, how we do that all together as a staff and player group – so that’s one thing I’m really proud of.
“Of course, we have a couple of draws in the league where we’re disappointed to lose those points. But now we can only look forward. I think we’ve been working really hard to get to the point we are now, and we need to keep working hard because everyone is growing. The games we have left in the league – they’re so important.
“It starts tomorrow with West Ham.”
