Wales captain Sophie Ingle tears ACL in Chelsea friendly

Chelsea have confirmed midfielder Sophie Ingle has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during a preseason friendly against Feyenoord.

Ingle, who is Wales captain, was substituted off the pitch during the 9-0 victory at Kingsmeadow. She is set to undergo surgery in due course after Chelsea confirm the extent of the tear.

The injury will rule the 33-year-old out of the majority of the upcoming 2024-25 season and Wales' upcoming Euro 2025 playoffs, the first round of which comes in a two-legged affair against Slovakia on Oct. 25 and Oct. 29.

Chelsea begin their Women's Super League (WSL) campaign by hosting Aston Villa on Friday.

They hope to add a sixth consecutive WSL trophy to the cabinet this season under new head coach Sonia Bompastor , who replaced Emma Hayes following the latter's departure to the United States women's national team .