England legend Ellen White praises Arsenal star Beth Mead's incredible mentality and says she will 'come back stronger' after ACL injury against Manchester United

The forward had enjoyed a strong start to the Women's Super League season with three goals to her name but was withdrawn during Arsenal's 3-2 defeat to Manchester United earlier this month.

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Arsenal subsequently confirmed the extent of Mead's injury, which marks a cruel end to what has been a whirlwind year for the 27-year-old for both club and county.

The Arsenal forward played a pivotal role in the Lionesses' success at the European Championships this summer, winning the Golden Boot after scoring six goals.

Her form also meant she was named as the player of the tournament and she has subsequently become one of the most recognised players in the women's game.

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It caps off a remarkable turnaround for the forward, who was left out of Team GB's Olympics squad in 2021 and White sympathises with her former England teammate following her injury.

Speaking to talkSPORT, White said: "I messaged her [Mead] and I'm absolutely gutted for her. She's had an incredible couple of years with what she's achieved and what she's doing at Arsenal and taking that into the England squad. England Player of the Year, Golden Boot; you could keep rattling off all the awards she's won really.

"I'm absolutely gutted for her. But she's got an incredible support system and medical team at Arsenal and I know that she's got a great mentality to come back from this injury. It is a tough one and a hard one to get over.

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"I've experienced it and you can come back from something like this. I've got no doubt in my mind that she'll come back better and stronger and ready to go, hopefully in the very near future hopefully.

"It was obviously a really challenging time for her not to be selected for the Olympics. But like you say, she used that fire in her belly as fuel for her in pre-season.

"She's got an incredible mentality and belief and she's just incredibly talented as well, which helps.

"There's so many rollercoasters and ups and downs in football and she's really used this one as a great stepping stone for her to continue her development and keep getting better and better. I'm really proud of her."

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