Aniek Nouwen has torn her anterior cruciate ligament. This was reported by her club Chelsea. The 24-year-old player sustained the injury with the Dutch Juniors.
Nouwen has now returned to Chelsea and is starting her recovery there. Last summer, Nouwen played with the Dutch team at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The defender belonged in the past period not included in the selection of national coach Andries Jonker and for that reason went out with the Dutch Juniors. In 2019, Nouwen made her debut for the Dutch national team. Since then she has played 43 international matches.
Nouwen is certainly not the first football player to suffer a cruciate ligament injury. Vivianne Miedema, who recently made her return, was sidelined for months, just like her partner and Arsenal teammate Beth Mead, due to the same injury. Arsenal players Laura Wienroither and Leah Williamson also tore a cruciate ligament last season. The same happened to Marie-Antoinette Katoto (PSG), Catarina Macario (Lyon) Alexia Putellas (Barcelona). And this season things went wrong again for Feyenoord player Kirsten van de Westeringh.
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