Arsenal defender Rafaelle set for spell on the sidelines with foot injury

Arsenal defender Rafaelle Souza will spend a period on the sidelines after fracturing a metatarsal bone in her foot.

The Gunners provided the injury update via a post on their official club website this morning.

Rafaelle sustained the injury during the first half of Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Ajax in their UEFA Women’s Champions League Round 2, second leg tie in Amsterdam on Wednesday evening. The defender was replaced by England centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy in the 39th minute of the match.

The initial thoughts on Rafaelle’s injury were not good and it has today been confirmed that the player has suffered a fracture of a metatarsal bone. The 31-year-old will be sidelined for a period, however, the good news is that Arsenal have stated that it is likely to be several weeks and not months.

Rafaelle joined Arsenal in the January transfer window following spells playing in the United States, China and Brazil. The defender has made 11 appearances for The Gunners in all competitions so far, scoring two goals.

Arsenal are set to be without the services of Rafaelle for a number of league games while she will also miss some of The Gunners’ matches in the group stage of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.