Frida Maanum emphatically pointed at the cannon emblem on her chest and let out a triumphant scream towards the sea of red and white in the stands as she spun away. The midfielder had just unleashed a powerful shot into the net, giving Arsenal an early lead in their eventual 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
This was Maanum’s second goal of the season, her first coming in the 1-0 victory over Rosenborg that secured Arsenal’s advancement to the second round of Champions League qualifying. Two weeks prior to their Women’s Super League opener against City, they were drawn to face BK Hacken and will host the Swedish side at Borehamwood on Thursday night, aiming to overcome a 1-0 deficit from the first leg.
In a small meeting room at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground, Maanum exudes calmness. The Norwegian forward enjoyed a less intense summer, with two international camps but no major tournament. She divided her time between Norway and Sweden, where her partner, Emma Lennartsson, plays, spending quality time with family and friends. When asked about hobbies, Maanum jokingly replied, “Should I be boring and say I don’t have any?” After some thought, she added, “I enjoy watching tennis. Football, of course, but I also like watching and playing tennis. I wouldn’t say I’m great, but I can hold my own. I can hit the ball.”
The roar from the crowd when Maanum scored the opening goal on Sunday was deafening. While the applause would have been loud regardless of the scorer, there was an added layer of emotion in the stands and from the player herself. Shared traumatic experiences create a lasting bond.
On March 31, Maanum collapsed near the sideline in the 96th minute of Arsenal’s Continental Cup final victory over Chelsea at Molineux. She received extensive treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off. Concerns eased only after it was reported that Maanum was conscious, stable, and communicating with medical staff.
“When such things happen, you appreciate the little things even more,” the 25-year-old reflects. “Every time I step onto the pitch, whether it’s for training or a game, I don’t take it for granted, knowing how difficult that period was.”
It was crucial for Maanum to have time off during the summer to reflect on the incident. She feels stronger entering the new season, drawing positive lessons from the previous one. “I wouldn’t wish for it to happen again, but I’ve gained a lot from it, especially in terms of seizing every opportunity, every training session, every game, knowing not everyone gets to do what I do after such an event.”
Arsenal confirmed there were “no obvious cardiac causes” following the incident. Maanum is closely monitored, with a device providing live data to a dedicated Arsenal medical team member during games. “I feel very safe and secure about it,” Maanum says. “We decided early on to implement this as a precaution, given my young age and many more years of playing ahead.”
Arsenal has also supported Maanum’s mental well-being post-collapse, for which she is deeply grateful. “The club was fantastic,” she notes. “Many overlook the mental aspect when physical issues arise. That support has been even more crucial for me. It’s been important to talk about it, acknowledge what happened, then move forward, trusting the medical team and knowing it won’t recur.”
Just 21 days later, Maanum returned to action, coming on in the 66th minute of Arsenal’s 3-0 defeat of Leicester in their final game at the Emirates Stadium last season. She received a massive standing ovation. “It was a great game to return to,” Maanum says. “Especially feeling the love from the fans, many of whom were also at the [Continental Cup] final and likely felt what happened.”
Returning to play quickly was “really important” for Maanum to avoid a summer of mental turmoil. “The medical staff didn’t push me, but I pushed myself to get back because I knew two or three months of thinking about returning to the pitch would be challenging. There’s a lot of attention around it due to what happened.”
Maanum came off the bench the following week against Everton, started Arsenal’s 2-1 defeat of Manchester City, and scored Arsenal’s final goal of the 2023-24 campaign in a 5-0 defeat of Brighton. This season’s strong start has helped her put more distance between herself and the events of March.
On Thursday night, Maanum knows that if she features, her role against Hacken will be significant. Arsenal dominated the first leg but failed to capitalize on numerous chances, thwarted by Hacken’s well-organized low block.
As an attacking midfielder, “you are the spider in the web, trying to create those chances and find those through passes,” Maanum explains. “That’s a crucial position in games where you must break through a low block. Mentally, it’s even harder because you have to be patient. We know they gain energy for every minute we don’t score. It’s important in such games to be patient and trust that the goals will come. Looking ahead, we have 90 minutes left in the tie, which we will finish on our home pitch.”
Is there pressure on Arsenal to deliver a strong and competitive season with silverware at the end, given their extended pre-season and fewer serious injuries compared to previous campaigns? “Definitely,” says Maanum. “We’re Arsenal. We always aim to win trophies. We’re aware we’ve won two League Cup trophies, which is great, but looking at our squad and the quality we have, our goal is to win the league. That’s always in our minds.”
