(Reuters) – Defender Lucy Bronze underwent surgery on her right knee and will be out for a couple of weeks, Barcelona head coach Jonatan Giraldez said on Wednesday, dismissing concerns about her availability for England at the upcoming Women’s World Cup.
Bronze suffered the injury during Barcelona’s 1-0 semi-final first-leg win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week as she went down clutching her knee before receiving medical attention on the pitch.
The 31-year-old, who previously won the Champions League three times with Olympique Lyonnais, has been ruled out of the second leg on Thursday and her return to action will depend on her rehabilitation progress, the club said.
“She has a strain, an ailment. It’s a tiny intervention, just a couple of weeks,” Giraldez told a news conference.
“Lucy has been important for us. We have plenty of players here and I know we have players that can step in.”
England will be without captain Leah Williamson and Beth Mead at the July 20-Aug. 20 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand after they suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
There are also doubts over the availability of forward Fran Kirby and defender Millie Bright.
European champions England are in Group D along with Haiti, Denmark and China.
(Reporting by Manasi Pathak in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
