Arsenal star Beth Mead has opened up on her return from injury alongside teammate and off-field partner Vivianne Miedema, explaining how the attacking duo have served as sources of inspiration for each other and even opened their doors for teammate Laura Wienroither as she begins her recovery journey.
Mead, who collected the golden boot and player of the tournament awards as England won the Euros last summer, ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament in Arsenal ’s 3-2 defeat by Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium in November. One week later, Miedema suffered the same injury in Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Lyon.
The injuries marked a cruel twist of fate for the Gunners’ front line and fired Mead into a race against time ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Despite early insistences from Mead that her recovery was “ahead of schedule” and her refusal to rule the prospect out of a remarkable return for the World Cup, the 28-year-old was not called into Sarina Wiegman’s 23-player Lionesses squad with the Dutch manager opting to play it safe with the striker’s recovery.
And Mead has opened up on the recovery process shared with her partner and club teammate Miedema and the inspiration each gleans from the other.
“My mum always told me to take one step at a time, which I always do,” Mead told Arsenal’s website. “In recovery, it becomes one day at a time because I think you’ve got to break things down sometimes, especially when it’s tough.
“My motivation was to get as close to the World Cup as possible, and that’s what I’ve been striving to do with rehab. I’m not gonna make that, but it’s given me a target to push towards. Striving for a goal has meant that after the summer, I’ll be ready and super fit for next season."
“I’ve been working hard to be ahead of what I should be, and that’s a motivation in itself," Mead added. "It makes me feel good. With Viv [Miedema] going through the same injury at the same time, it’s been important that we’re there for each other. She asks questions about how I found certain parts of my recovery, so I can reassure her that it’s all normal and that she’s doing great.
“We inspire each other each day, and we motivate and egg each other on, as well as wanting to kill each other at the same time!”
Mead and Miedema represent just two high-profile players to suffer ACL injuries this season, and the pair have called on clubs and football’s governing bodies to put forth more energy and finances towards tackling the epidemic.
This season at Arsenal, four players sustained ACL injuries, with Wienroither the latest victim.
And Mead revealed that she and Miedema have allowed the 24-year-old Austrian international to move in with them as she enters her post-surgery recovery stages.
“We’re looking after her in the early days of her surgery,” Mead said. “After the season finishes, everyone goes home to do their own thing and have time off before the World Cup, so we’re supporting her and giving her a bit of love.
“It’s been really difficult but we’ve shown what a special group of people we have at this club. We all care about every single person in the team and we want them to succeed and we’ll also be there when times are tough. I think we’ve been pretty amazing at getting each other through those moments.”
