England’s World Cup aspirations were dealt a crushing blow with the captain Leah Williamson ruled out of the tournament after Arsenal announced she had ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament.

Williamson’s knee appeared to pop as she fell to the ground after an innocuous challenge in her club’s WSL game against Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village on Wednesday. Arsenal said she would have surgery and faced “an extended spell” out.

The central defender, who can also be used in midfield and was operating in that role for Arsenal with Kim Little out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, played a major part in the Lionesses’ Euro 2022 triumph last summer.

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The 26-year-old’s teammate for club and country Beth Mead, the leading scorer at the Euros, is also poised to miss the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand because of an ACL injury sustained in November. Williamson is the third Arsenal player, after Mead and Vivianne Miedema, to rupture an ACL this season.

Williamson wrote on Instagram: “Unfortunately the World Cup and Champions League dream is over for me and everyone will think that’s the main focus, but it’s the day to day of what I’m about to go through that is the most draining of my thoughts.

“I had my tears and made my peace with it the night it happened and since then I have been following the steps I’m told to, in order to best help myself in the short and long term. Ultimately, I think it’s just my time. In the past couple of years alone I have watched teammates beat serious illnesses and adversity with the biggest of smiles on their faces. I also hold perspective that globally there are much greater difficulties and therefore my circumstances right now are just that, circumstantial, and I’ve seen a lot worse.”

With concerns over the fitness of Williamson’s regular England central defensive partner Millie Bright, who has not played since injuring a knee during a Chelsea game against Lyon a month ago, there are question marks over the strength of England’s defence going into the World Cup. There has been no information on when Bright is due to return. Chelsea’s manager, Emma Hayes, said it was extremely unlikely Bright would feature in Saturday’s Champions League semi-final against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge.

Alternative centre-back options from Sarina Wiegman’s most recent England camp are Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Lotte Wubben-Moy and Lucy Parker. Between them they have 16 caps. Jess Carter, who has 17, has featured primarily at left-back and the Euro 2022 left-back Rachel Daly is being used in her preferred role up front.

Bright is England’s assistant captain and lifted the Finalissima trophy with Williamson this month. Should she be fit, she would probably lead the Lionesses into the World Cup.