Kim Little: Injured Arsenal captain out for rest of the season

 

Kim Little
Scotland's Kim Little retired from international football in September 2021

Arsenal captain Kim Little will miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in their Women's Champions League quarter-final win.

The midfielder, 32, was substituted 12 minutes into the second leg against Bayern Munich in March, which Arsenal won 2-0 to triumph 2-1 on aggregate.

Arsenal visit Wolfsburg for the first leg of the semi-final on Sunday, 23 April and play the home leg on 1 May.

They travel to Women's Super League leaders Manchester United on Wednesday.

Jonas Eidevall's side are third in the domestic league and just three points adrift of United.

Arsenal have already won a title this season, beating Chelsea in Continental League Cup, to pick up their first trophy in four years.

Analysis - 'Little is undoubtedly one of Arsenal's best players'

Emma Sanders, BBC Sport football reporter

This is a huge blow to Arsenal as they prepare to take on Wolfsburg.

Little is undoubtedly one of their best players and has been for several seasons - leading the team as captain and acting as a focal point in midfield, helping Arsenal tick.

It is the latest injury to one of Arsenal's key players, following the season-ending anterior cruciate ligament injuries to last season's top-scorer Vivianne Miedema and Ballon d'Or runner-up Beth Mead.

However, Arsenal have performed well given those injuries and showed in the Champions League quarter-final win over Bayern Munich that they can adapt to Little's absence.

England captain Leah Williamson is a good back-up option and is likely to move into midfield from her preferred centre-back position, as she did against Bayern.

But Arsenal's squad depth is thinning at a time when they remain in a four-way battle for the WSL title and are chasing a second European trophy. It will be a major concern.

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