‘an Awful Moment’: Sarina Wiegman Says Agyemang Injury ‘doesn’t Look Good’

Sarina Wiegman said she was “not emotion very positive” astir nan grade of nan knee wounded suffered by guardant Michelle Agyemang successful England’s 3-0 conclusion of Australia.

The 19-year-old Arsenal forward, who began nan play connected indebtedness astatine Brighton, slammed nan Pride Park transportation successful agony aft going down disconnected nan ball, prompting teammates and aesculapian unit to unreserved to her side. She exited connected a stretcher, pinch a concerned Wiegman speaking to her arsenic she was taken down nan tunnel.

“That was an atrocious moment,” said nan England manager. “It doesn’t look good. We don’t cognize nan grade of it yet, she needs to beryllium assessed, but I’m not emotion very positive.”

The young forward, who was seen leaving nan crushed connected crutches, was substituted 18 minutes aft coming connected successful spot of Arsenal teammate Alessia Russo.

“It is ne'er bully erstwhile anyone comes disconnected a stretcher, fto unsocial a teammate,” her chap guardant Aggie Beever-Jones told ITV. “I don’t cognize what she has done but I will beryllium praying she will beryllium OK.”

Agyemang scored 41 seconds into her England debut successful a 3-2 nonaccomplishment to Belgium successful April, 2 days aft being called up to switch injured Russo. She earned an inclusion successful Wiegman’s squad for nan Euros and arrived connected nan world shape successful style successful nan summer, scoring nan captious 81st-minute equaliser against Sweden successful nan quarter-finals to nonstop nan crippled to extra-time earlier England won connected penalties and nan 96th-minute equaliser against Italy successful nan semi-finals to unit other clip again, this clip England securing nan triumph successful nan 119th minute.

The wounded to Agyemang marred a promising capacity from England pursuing their conclusion to Brazil connected Saturday. However, Wiegman was disappointment by Alanna Kennedy’s early reddish paper for Australia because it meant England did not rather get nan trial they had wanted.

“That was disappointing and those are nan rules,” she said. “In a qualifier I don’t attraction but successful a friends you want to play 11 v 11 arsenic that provides nan astir challenges. We tried to accommodate consecutive away, they dropped deeper truthful nan spaces became smaller and very tight. We hoped to do different things astatine nan extremity of nan crippled but unluckily we had immoderate injuries.”