England’s Euro 2025 Defence Hit by Blow as Defender Suffers ACL Injury
England women’s football team has been dealt a significant blow ahead of their European Championship defence, with defender Ella Morris suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in training. The 22-year-old Tottenham player, who had been called up from the Under-23s squad for the upcoming Nations League games against Portugal and Switzerland, will now undergo surgery on her right knee.
According to the BBC, Morris’s injury comes five weeks before the Lionesses begin their European Championship defence in Switzerland. This is the second ACL injury Morris has sustained, having first done so at the age of 17 while playing for Southampton. The news was confirmed by the BBC, which reported that Morris had posted on Instagram, saying: “From the highest high to the lowest low… Devastated doesn’t even come close. So grateful for the incredible people around me. ACL round 2 – let’s go.”
In response to Morris’s injury, Manchester City midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown, 21, has received her third senior call-up and has joined the 26-player squad at St George’s Park as a replacement. The BBC reported that a statement from the England team said: “England’s support team will remain in close contact with her and the club. Everyone involved with the Lionesses wishes Ella the very best with her recovery.”
The injury to Morris is a significant setback for the Lionesses, who are already without goalkeeper Mary Earps after her surprise retirement on Tuesday. As the BBC noted, Fifa is funding research into whether hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles could be contributing to the rise in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in women’s football. ACL injuries are two to six times more likely to occur in women than men, and about two-thirds of them happen in women’s football when there is no physical contact.
The Lionesses will travel to London on Thursday to prepare to face Portugal at Wembley on Friday evening (19:45 BST), before a trip to face world champions Spain on Tuesday (18:00 BST). As the BBC reported, the team will be looking to make a strong start to their Nations League campaign, despite the setbacks they have faced.
Morris’s injury highlights the challenges faced by women’s football teams in managing the physical demands of the sport. As the BBC noted, ACL injuries are a significant concern for women’s football, and the research being funded by Fifa aims to better understand the causes of these injuries and develop strategies for prevention. For now, the Lionesses will have to adapt to the loss of Morris and focus on their upcoming matches.
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