Shock in training!

Injured! ÖFB goalkeeper Zinsberger out for a long time

Manuela Zinsberger suffered a serious injury in training.(Bild: Arsenal)

ÖFB team goalkeeper Manuela Zinsberger has injured herself in training with her club Arsenal. The Austrian has apparently suffered a torn cruciate ligament and will be out for several months.

Manuela Zinsberger, the next pillar of the women's national soccer team, will be out for a long time. The team goalkeeper suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in training with her club Arsenal, as the ÖFB announced on Friday. The Champions League winner will therefore be missing for months. It is the next serious injury-related setback for the ÖFB women within a few weeks.

Bayern Munich's Sarah Zadrazil and Marie Höbinger, who plays for Liverpool, have already torn their cruciate ligaments. The two key players will also be out for months. Barbara Dunst, Lilli Purtscheller (both cruciate ligament ruptures) and Marina Georgieva (shoulder operation) have already been sidelined for some time. Bayern's Dunst and Georgieva, who is without a club, are already being considered for a return to the pitch.

Schriebl: "It's hard to put into words"
 "It's hard to put into words how unlucky we are with injuries in the women's national team at the moment. I feel incredibly sorry for Manuela. With her absence, we are not only losing an absolute top performer, but also a figure of identification and a role model for many," said team manager Alexander Schriebl in a statement. He hoped for the best possible healing process.

Arsenal wrote that the 30-year-old, who will turn 30 on Sunday, had suffered the injury in training ahead of the away game at Benfica Lisbon in the Champions League. Zinsberger will undergo an operation and the 2025/26 season is likely to be over for her.

Mariella El Sherif of Werder Bremen is likely to take over as the new number one following the loss of the 110-time international. The 21-year-old Styrian made her senior debut in the 6-0 Nations League defeat to Germany in June. Isabella Kresche (Tampa Bay Sun) and Jasmin Pal (Austria Vienna), who moved to the USA in the summer, have also made appearances. However, Kresche is not in the squad for the upcoming Nations League play-off clash with the Czech Republic at the end of October (November 24 and 28). Larissa Rusek from 1. FC Nürnberg has been called up.