Rachel Daly says England have ‘fingers and toes’ crossed for Keira Walsh after midfield ace’s injury at the World Cup
RACHEL DALY admits being filled with dread whenever the letters ‘A’, ‘C’ and ‘L’ are mentioned with England assessing Keira Walsh’s injured knee.
Daly and Mary Earps are backing the World Cup chasers to bounce back from their injury woes, just like Arsenal did in the WSL last term.
Daly and shot stopper Earps have been reflecting on the knee problem that left Walsh on crutches during England’s 1-0 defeat of Denmark on Friday.
The FA say they have “no news” on the status of Walsh’s injury.
The player was stretchered off close to half-time after hurting her her studs got caught in the turf at Sydney Stadium.
The midfield star could be set to miss the Group D leaders’ clash with China in Adelaide on Tuesday.
An England win will secure their spot in the World Cup’s knockout stage.
However The Observer reports that it’s hoped her knee issue is not as serious as it looked amid initial fears she had sustained anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) damage.
On whether the spate of knee injuries in the women’s game is a worry, Daly said: “For me, those three letters (ACL) scare the absolute you-know-what out of me.
“There’s always more (research) work to be done in and around injuries and anterior cruciate ligament (issues in the women’s game)
“We all have our fingers, toes, everything crossed for Keira, but that’s football isn’t it. It’s tough.
“You have your highs and your lows and you just hope that everything is alright.”
Walsh, 26, was stretchered off six minutes before the half-time whistle during England’s duel with Denmark.
The Barcelona star looked tearful and is thought to have said “I’ve done my knee” as England’s medics came to her assistance.
Earps added: “It’s always sad when you see your team-mate go down and I hope it is nothing too serious.
“You could see it disrupted our rhythm in the first half (against Denmark).
“Keira was with the medics so we were just concentrating on what was in front of us.
“It’s the talk of the town – that more research can be done. Hopefully that will definitely happen.”
England have had rotten luck with losing players to injuries ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand this summer
Star trio Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and Leah Williamson are currently working their way to fitness from knee issues.
And Earps is backing the Lionesses to rally from their injury woes just as Arsenal did on the domestic stage last season.
The Gunners won this year’s Conti Cup without the services of Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead.
And they qualified for next season’s Champions League despite the absence of their star forwards as well as Williamson, full-back Laura Wienroither and skipper Kim Little.
Earps said: “We saw it with Arsenal a little bit towards the end of the season.
“They were down and out but rallied (despite their injuries).
“We are a resilient group. We’re going to keep going and fighting and put our best foot forward as we always do.”
Daly added: “This group is special, it’s got some unbelievable characters.
“It’s not just about what you see in performances on the pitch.
“The girls off the pitch are special, special people and the staff are as well.
“Sarina (our boss) has built a squad around that, she doesn’t just think of the team that plays.
“It’s everyone as a whole and there is character on and off the pitch.
“Coombsy (Laura Coombs) stepped in (for Keira) and did phenomenally.
“There are other players that are ready to go and are available.”
England’s game against China at Hindmarsh could see gaffer Wiegman retain Daly in a left-back role with the team keeping a clean sheet against Denmark on Saturday.
The Aston Villa ace, wearing the Lionesses’ number nine shirt for the World Cup, finished as the WSL’s top scorer last season.
However last summer Daly started as a full-back in all six of England’s Euros with the team winning the tournament.
And the WSL Golden Boot winner insists she is happy to start in any position despite playing as a striker for her club last term.
Daly said: “It’s an honour to put on the (England) shirt whenever I can and I’ll play in any position.
“It’s not the one I’ve been playing in regularly for my club, but it’s something that’s still familiar.
“There are tweaks I need to make on my game in that role, but I will learn from it.”