Arsenal star Frida Maanum given return date after worrying Conti Cup final collapse

Frida Maanum will return to playing after collapsing on the pitch during the League Cup final

Arsenal’s Frida Maanum could be back in the competitive fold as soon as next week after collapsing on the pitch during the Gunners’ 1-0 League Cup final win over Chelsea less than two weeks ago.

Play was stopped for seven minutes during the match at Molineux Stadium after the Norway international went to the ground off the ball. Maanum, 24, was eventually taken off the pitch on a stretcher. The midfielder did not go to the hospital and went back home with teammates.

Maanum did not join the Norway women’s national team during the international break as she continued to undergo screenings to find the cause of the collapse. According to the club, there were “no obvious cardiac causes”.

And Eidevall confirmed that Sunday’s Women’s Super League clash against Bristol City is too soon a return date for Maanum but that the following weekends in which Arsenal play bottom-half Leicester City and Everton could mark Maanum’s return.

“Everything is looking good, that’s the most important thing,” Eidevall said in a press conference on Friday. “She’s [Maaanum] on a graduated monitor protocol here to return to playing. She will not be available for selection for Sunday but after that, everything else as planned, it looks promising for her to be available to play.

“We’re not going to disclose any medical findings and not here publicly. But what I can assure you of is the support around Frida has been phenomenal. The monitoring and protocols and the testing have been on the highest of standards in order to ensure both her mental health and wellbeing, but also to ensure a really safe protocol in return to play.”

Arsenal sit third in the league table, six points off Chelsea and nine points off leaders Manchester City who have played a game more. However, they remain a comfortable six points off fourth-placed Manchester United with a game to tout, meaning the third and final European spot will most likely belong to Arsenal come season’s end.

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