Frida Maanum given promising Arsenal return date after collapsing on pitch

Arsenal star Frida Maanum could be back in action as soon as next week after collapsing on the pitch during the Gunners' 1-0 League Cup final win over Chelsea less than two weeks ago.

Play was stopped for seven minutes during the match at Molineux Stadium after the Norway international went to the ground off the ball. Maanum, 24, was eventually taken off the pitch on a stretcher but did not go to hospital and went home with teammates.

Maanum did not join the Norway women's national team during the international break as she continued to undergo screenings to find the cause of the collapse. According to the club, there were "no obvious cardiac causes".

And Eidevall confirmed that Sunday's Women's Super League clash against Bristol City is too soon a return date for Maanum but that the following weekend, in which Arsenal play bottom-half Leicester City, could mark her return.

"Everything is looking good, that's the most important thing," Eidevall said in a press conference on Friday. "She's [Maaanum] on a graduated monitor protocol here to return to playing. She will not be available for selection for Sunday but after that, everything else as planned, it looks promising for her to be available to play", reports the Mirror.

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"We're not going to disclose any medical findings and not here publicly. But what I can assure you of is the support around Frida has been phenomenal. The monitoring and protocols and the testing have been on the highest of standards in order to ensure both her mental health and wellbeing, but also to ensure a really safe protocol in return to play."

Arsenal are currently sitting third in the league standings, trailing Chelsea by six points and table-toppers Manchester City by nine, with City having played an extra game. Nonetheless, the Gunners maintain a solid six-point cushion over fourth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand, suggesting that Arsenal are well-positioned to secure the third Champions League spot as the season draws to a close.