Keira Walsh needed crutches after being injured during England's 1-0 World Cup win over Denmark as Sarina Wiegman's side took control of Group D. 

Lauren James broke the deadlock at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney with a stunning strike in the sixth minute but the Lionesses were dealt a heavy blow when Walsh was carried off on a stretcher. 

The Barcelona midfielder, 26, went down with what was initially feared to be an ACL injury — and Arsenal boss Jonas Eidevall suggested the pitch was to blame.

Speaking on BBC One, he said: "The pitch looks very dry. You could see on the movement when Walsh went to slide with the right foot that it stops, then the knee twists. 

"In the celebration for the England goal, James tried to knee slide but she stopped [almost instantly] and fell over. 

"In the moment it looks funny. But if you stop and you think about it, it is a danger to player welfare to have such a dry pitch. It is not good enough."

Former England striker Ellen White added: "I'm just devastated for Keira. She has been one of the best, if not the best player, in this England side.

"It looks bad. You saw as soon as it happened she knew that it didn't look good. 

"She is a big miss. Who is going to fill that void now for England?"

With everyone fearing the worst, Walsh was replaced by Laura Coombs after 38 minutes. 

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Lionesses defender Gilly Flaherty said: "England had a bright start and went ahead through a cracking goal.

"Then that injury to Walsh. You feel sick at the thought it could potentially be another ACL."

Ex-England keeper Rachel Brown-Finnis added: "Walsh looks like she has said, 'I've done my knee'. An ongoing, ever-present unfortunate discussion that we are having in women's football. 

"Her studs get caught in the ground, not a lot of contact, and we all know what that means. We're just hoping that the outcome is different for Walsh."