Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey will miss roughly two months of WSL action after a hamstring setback.
The Spanish international pulled the muscle in the 4-2 loss to Manchester City on October 4.
Since swapping Barcelona for Arsenal two seasons ago, Caldentey has become indispensable and earned the 2024‑25 WSL Player of the Year award.
“Mariona left the field against Manchester City and couldn’t join Spain later. It’s a hamstring issue, so she’ll be out for some time,” Arsenal boss Renee Slegers explained.
“The tear is more serious than first thought. Current estimates put her sidelined for eight to ten weeks. We’ll monitor closely,” he added.
“We’re re‑scanning; the recovery looks promising. Ideally the lay‑off would be shorter, but the injury is substantial,” Slegers said.
Her absence dents Arsenal, who host Birmingham City on Saturday at 12:45 BST for their next WSL fixture.
A woeful start sees the Gunners with just one win from five, sparking doubts over Slegers’ future. The concern here is their lackluster form.
They sit tenth in the league and will also miss England striker Chloe Kelly and German recruit Selina Cerci on Saturday.
“Selina required knee surgery after a lingering issue worsened, forcing us to act,” Slegers noted.
“She’ll be out for a spell. Missing parts of pre‑season made her integration tougher,” he continued.
“Although she’s attended most training sessions, managing the injury inevitably hampers her performance,” the manager said.
“German doctors opted for surgery to clean the knee thoroughly,” Slegers confirmed. Will Arsenal’s depth hold up without these key players?