Arsenal midfielder Frida Maanum is progressing well after collapsing on the pitch last month and could make an emotional return at Emirates Stadium next week.
Maanum collapsed on the pitch towards the end of normal time during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in the League Cup Final on March 31.
She has not played since, pulling out of the Norway squad last week, but test results have been reviewed by two leading cardiologists and there are no obvious cardiac causes found from the investigations so far.
Maanum will not play this weekend when Arsenal take on Bristol City, but she could be back playing for their clash with Leicester at the Emirates a week on Sunday.
“Everything is looking good and that’s the most important thing,” Eidevall said on Friday morning. “She is on a graduated-monitored protocol here now to return to play. She will not be available for selection here for Sunday.
“But after that, [if] everything goes as planned, it looks promising for her to be available to play again.”
Asked if that meant the Leicester game next week at Emirates Stadium, Eidevall said: “Yeah, that’s the next game.”
As well as Maanum’s collapse, the League Cup final win over Chelsea hit the headlines after Eidevall clashed with Chelsea boss Emma Hayes at the full-time whistle.
Hayes accused Eidevall of showing “male aggression” on the touchline during the game, but the Swede rejects that and has no regrets over his actions.
“I need to be accountable for my actions and that is what I can take responsibility for,” he said. “In this situation, I am accountable for that. I am very happy with the way I conducted myself and I would not do anything differently if I could redo it again.
“Emotions are, of course, high in football. They were two really competitive teams and they want to win.
“From my perspective, I wouldn’t change anything. I thought the comments that I heard after the game were very irresponsible and they were not mirroring the conduct that I had in the technical area. That’s basically all I think about it.”
