Michelle Agyemang worryingly left the pitch on a stretcher as England beat Australia 3-0 at Pride Park in Derby on Tuesday night. The up and coming teenage forward has made a huge impact since bursting onto the international scene for the Lionesses earlier this year, going on to play a decisive role at Euro 2025, but could now be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Concern for Agyemang
There had been plenty of reason to be cheerful for England, enjoying a relatively comfortabe win over an Australia side reduced to 10 players inside the opening 20 minutes when Alanna Kennedy was sent off. There were debuts for Taylor Hinds and Lucia Kendall at left-back and in midfield respectively, while Wiegman finally handed Maya Le Tissier the chance to play as a centre-back for her country. Agyemang replaced Alessia Russo up front just over an hour in, with the score at 2-0, but lasted only 18 minutes after appearing to badly hurt herself.
Journalist Kathryn Batte noted on X: "This looks a bad one for Michelle Agyemang, England's players all very concerned, Beth Mead pointing to her knee as she came over. Really hoping it's not as bad as it looks."
Girls on the Ball similarly posted: "This does not not look good at all. The stretcher is out and she is being looked after by a number of England players as well as the physios."
The Brighton striker, on loan again this season from Arsenal, was treated and then taken away on a stretcher, as fans on all four sides of the stadium stood up and applauded in a moving show of respect and concern.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWiegman: It doesn't look good
There is no confirmed diagnosis at this early stage, but women's football has been plagued by anterior cruciate ligament injuries in recent years – over the past few weeks alone, Liverpool pair Marie Hobinger and Sophie Roman Haug, as well as Bayern Munich's Lena Oberdorf have been sidelined long-term. It is hoped that Agyemang has avoided such severe damage, but it could be a worrying and distressing wait for further news.
"Of course it was an awful moment, it doesn't look good. We don't know yet but I'm not very positive about what I've seen," England manager Sarina Wiegman told reporters afterwards. "Of course that looked horrible when you’re stretchered off that’s not nice anyway, that doesn't look good. It looks bad."
In front of the ITV cameras, forward Aggie Beever-Jones reflected: "It's never nice when anyone comes off on a stretcher, let alone a team-mate. I don't know what she's done, but I just hope she’s okay. It's never nice to see anyone in pain like that. I'm just praying she's OK."
Euro 2025 super sub
Agyemang made her name during Euro 2025 as England's wildcard and super sub. She had fairly little club experience when Wiegman first selected her in a Lionesses squad in the build-up to the tournament in April, scoring a spectacular strike only 41 seconds after coming on for a debut against Belgium. The rising talent repeated the trick twice at the Championship, coming off the bench to score an 81st minute equaliser in the quarter-final against Sweden to force the penalty shootout that England subsequently won, then later sending the semi-final against Italy into extra-time, as the Lionesses again won. She also came off the bench in the final and ultimately named young player of the tournament for her overall efforts and impact.
Rather than risk her not getting sufficient game time to build on and further develop off the back of that epic summer, Arsenal opted to send Agyemang to Brighton on loan for a second time – she had already played 17 WSL games for the Seagulls during 2024-25.
Getty ImagesWhat comes next?
It remains to be seen when Agyemang will be back in action. Everything will depend on the severity of the injury, with an ACL tear the worst case scenario in this instance, with absences often varying wildly. More mild and minor ligament damage could equate to being sidelined for weeks rather than months.