Arsenal manager Jonas Eidevall has said star forward Vivianne Miedema is to undergo minor surgery on her knee after dealing with irritation for several weeks.
Miedema, 27, returned to Women’s Super League (WSL) action in October after 10 months out with an anterior cruciate ligament tear, but now faces “several weeks” on the sidelines.
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Eidevall told a news conference on Friday the exact length of Miedema’s absence would be determined by her response to the procedure.
“We will have an update on that after the surgery and when we see how she’s progressing,” he said.
In February, Miedema admitted that playing with pain was “the new normal” after her ACL injury. She missed the 2023 Women’s World Cup as a result of the initial injury, and was withdrawn after the first half of the Netherlands‘ 3-0 defeat to Spain in the Women’s Nations League on Feb. 23.
“After a cruciate ligament injury it sometimes involves trial and error,” she told ESPN. “I think the new normal is a bit different from the old normal. That does not mean that I am on the field with pain every day.
“I think it was just very painful at the beginning. It took a lot of getting used to and now you have found a certain way to deal with it.”
The Netherlands were beaten by Germany in the Nations League third-place playoff on Wednesday and resultantly missed out on a spot this summer’s Olympic Games.
Arsenal are third in the WSL, three points behind both Manchester City and Chelsea, who lead the way having scored more goals than City.