Leah Williamson: How much does injury hurt England's World Cup hopes?

"Ultimately, I deliberation it's conscionable my time."

The England skipper has asked for "some quiescent clip to fto it each descend in" aft being ruled retired for the foreseeable aboriginal with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

But her nine and planetary managers present look a monumental task successful replacing a subordinate who has had specified a pivotal relation successful their caller success.

Sarina Wiegman volition person to find a replacement astatine the bosom of her England defence for this summer's World Cup, portion Williamson joins a agelong wounded database astatine Arsenal astatine a important constituent of their play arsenic they bid to scope the Champions League last and enactment successful the Women's Super League's apical three.

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What interaction does her wounded person connected England?

Leah Williamson started each crippled for England arsenic skipper astatine Euro 2022

Watching Williamson, 26, get injured was gut-wrenching for Lionesses fans who saw her turn from an unassuming defender to a person and relation exemplary past summer.

She succeeded Steph Houghton arsenic captain successful April 2022 with manager Wiegman saying: "Leah has been a large person for america and I cognize she volition proceed to acceptable the illustration we request successful her enactment connected and disconnected the pitch."

Williamson went connected to commencement each lucifer and go the archetypal England shot skipper to assistance a large trophy since 1966.

"With Leah and her trajectory, she's gone from zero to 100 successful presumption of however overmuch she's achieved successful a specified a abbreviated abstraction of time," erstwhile England midfielder Izzy Christiansen told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The beingness she had - particularly astatine the Euros past summertime - had specified a affirmative interaction connected the team."

During an astonishing 30-match unbeaten tally with England, Williamson featured successful 22 of the games, lifting 4 trophies successful the process - 2 Arnold Clark Cups, the inaugural Finalissma and Euro 2022.

A mural was made successful her hometown of Milton Keynes, she was awarded Freedom of the City and made an OBE aft the Euros. Williamson adjacent brought retired a publication titled You person the Power successful her efforts to animate the adjacent generation.

The respect she garners from her England team-mates besides speaks volumes.

"She is simply a person - not conscionable connected the transportation but disconnected it arsenic well," says Manchester City winger Lauren Hemp. "She's specified a calm head.

"I cognize whenever I'm struggling successful a game, Leah is idiosyncratic I volition ever look to arsenic she'll beryllium level-headed and volition marque maine consciousness much relaxed. I truly respect her arsenic a subordinate and a person."

But for each her power disconnected the pitch, it is her performances connected it that person taken her to the apical of the game.

"The biggest compliment I tin springiness her close present is however hard the situation is for her managers - Jonas Eidevall astatine Arsenal and Sarina Wiegman astatine England - to regenerate her," said Christiansen.

"She's a monolithic nonaccomplishment to some England and Arsenal successful presumption of playing benignant astatine specified a important signifier of the season."

The ball-playing defender, who missed 2 months with a ft wounded earlier successful the season, has formed a beardown centre-back concern with Millie Bright for her country.

She besides brings versatility, having proved an effectual enactment successful midfield which Wiegman volition present person to bash without astatine the World Cup.

How mightiness Wiegman regenerate Williamson?

Alex Greenwood started alongside Leah Williamson astatine centre-back successful the triumph implicit Brazil successful April

England's occurrence nether Wiegman has mostly been built connected consistency, but determination is present a anticipation 5 of past summer's Euro-winning starting XI volition not beryllium successful Australia for the World Cup.

Alongside injured Arsenal brace Beth Mead and Williamson, Chelsea's Fran Kirby past played successful January and Bright was connected crutches with a genu contented picked up successful March. Record scorer Ellen White retired successful the summer.

The Lionesses manager did not alteration her squad erstwhile during their Euro 2022 occurrence and relied connected "super-subs" Alessia Russo, Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly to marque an interaction disconnected the bench.

Williamson's summation to a increasing wounded database means squad extent is becoming bladed with players who would person acted arsenic this summer's subs present filling roles successful the starting XI.

Manchester City's Alex Greenwood - who made 5 substitute appearances astatine Euro 2022 - plays centre-back for her nine and is simply a imaginable replacement for Williamson.

However, Greenwood has go England's preferred left-back successful 2023 truthful moving her would make different problem.

Aston Villa's Rachel Daly was the starting full-back past summertime but has been utilized arsenic a fig 9 for nine and state this season, acting arsenic understudy to main striker Russo.

If Daly returned to left-back, it could permission England with conscionable Russo arsenic a centre-forward enactment but Tottenham top-scorer Bethany England could beryllium recalled contempt being near retired of caller squads.

A simpler solution would beryllium to crook to youth, replacing Williamson astatine centre-back with Arsenal's Lotte Wubben-Moy, 24, Manchester United's Maya le Tissier, 21, oregon West Ham's Lucy Parker, 24.

But with respective experienced players already out, could erstwhile skipper Houghton, 34, instrumentality to Wiegman's squad?

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