Sam Kerr has ruptured her ACL during a Chelsea training camp.Credit:Getty Images
She is the latest in a long list of top female footballers to have suffered the serious and long-term injury,which has also recently consigned Matildas teammates Ellie Carpenter and Kyah Simon to long lay-offs.
The 30-year-old,who has scored 99 goals in 128 games for Chelsea,will be assessed by a specialist in the coming days before beginning a lengthy period of rehabilitation under the guidance of club medical staff.
There was no timeframe for her return to football,though she will miss at least the remainder of the WSL season and UEFA Champions League.
She will also miss Australia’s two-legged Olympic qualifying play-offs against Uzbekistan,away on February 24 and at home at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium on February 28.
The recovery time for footballers with an ACL rupture varies but is generally at least eight months,and can be up to 12 months if the injury involves other complications.
Depending on her prognosis,it appears likely she would be sidelined for any Paris 2024 Olympics campaign,which would start from July 24.