Picking over the bones of what Leah Williamson’s anterior cruciate ligament injury means for England feels brutal. Cruel even. Because, in reality, none of it matters. Where Arsenal finish in the league and Champions League doesn’t matter, whether England win the World Cup doesn’t matter. In this moment all that does matter is that a 26-year-old footballer in her prime has had to let short-term dreams die to embark on a mentally and physically bruising journey.
“The noise around the situation is loud and I need some quiet to let it all sink in,” said Williamson on Instagram after the extent of her injury was announced. Yet, here I am, adding to the noise. Hopefully Williamson never sees this article, hopefully she is switched off from the outside world and being engulfed in the embrace of the tight unit of friends and family that mean more to her than anything else.
