‘It’s too little too late’ - Lianne Sanderson on the lack of research causing epidemic of ACL injuries in women’s football

After the news that Tottenham’s Jessica Naz has suffered an ACL injury, the second of her career, Lianne Sanderson has once again called out the need for change.

Naz is only 25 and joins a long list of players to have incurred the injury this season alone, including fellow England international Michelle Agyemang, the Lionesses' breakthrough star at the Euros this summer.

Women are up to eight times more likely to suffer an ACL injury, with almost 30 athletes missing out on the 2023 Women’s World Cup as a result. Sanderson argues that current research is not keeping pace with the rapid growth of women’s football.

'Too little too late' - Sanderson

Sanderson, a former England international who sustained an ACL injury herself in 2016, believes the women’s game remains far behind on essential research, and warns the situation will deteriorate before it improves.

“I spoke with knee surgeon Dr Andy Williams,” the former Arsenal striker said. “He was saying it needs to start from a younger age with strength and conditioning exercises.

“The women’s game has gone from zero to 100. We went from training twice a week to training every single day – and we're not trying to be the men, we're not trying to train like the men, that's a myth.

“The number of ACL tears since the beginning of the season is a problem for me and I will continue to talk about it.”

ACL injuries typically take players at least 10 months to recover from, with Chelsea striker Sam Kerr recently enduring a 20-month spell sidelined because of one.

The surgery required followed by intense rehab can take a huge toll on players’ mental health as well as the physical injury they are working to overcome.

“I'll continue to speak about it because I'm not having people keep saying research, research, research,” Sanderson added.

“Unfortunately, the research is not going to catch up for another five to 10 years because if they're doing the research now, it's too little too late.

“And unfortunately, we're going to see more players continue to have these injuries. It's globally, in America, over here, it's everywhere. And it really annoys me.”

Lianne Sanderson is covering the UEFA Women’s Champions League with Disney+ this season. Watch the UWCL Matchday 6 live on Disney+ on 17 December, with expert analysis as all nine games kick off together.