Chelsea defender Jorja Fox, who is currently out on loan at Brighton and Hove Albion, will return to her parent club after suffering anterior cruciate ligament injury.

The 19-year-old was brought off at half-time during Brighton’s 1-0 win over West Ham United last weekend – post-match scans have confirmed the status of her condition.

She is just the latest in a series of women’s footballers who have been ruled out with ACL injuries this season. Arsenal’s Beth Mead, Vivianne Miedema and Leah Williamson have all suffered season-ending problems with their ACL over the course of the campaign – it is becoming a worrying trend in women’s football.

Fox was loaned out to Brighton at the dawn of the current season. She has been one of the Seagulls’ key players, making 23 league appearances for them over the course of the WSL calendar year.

As Brighton have seemingly clawed their way to safety in the WSL this season, the loss of Fox will not be too worrying for them – nevertheless, it is always a shame to see such a promising talent suffer a serious injury.

Currently, the Seagulls are ninth in the WSL table, five points above the drop zone. With just two games to go, their battle for survival is almost won – barring a late twist.