For a teenage girl growing up with a passion for football, having two closest friends injured would be devastating - for Michelle Agyemang and Katie Reid, both players from Arsenal's youth team who recently sustained ACL injuries, this reality is all too real. The injury that forced them into missing crucial matches has also given their teammate Laila Harbert an opportunity to shine.
Harbert, 18, joined Watford on a dual agreement two years ago and now trains with Portland Thorns in the US. "It challenges you on the small details," she says about training with boys at Arsenal's academy from the age of nine. The midfielder has said that playing with the boys helped her to move faster and play at higher speeds, skills she is bringing back to her game.
As a child, Harbert's family made sacrifices so she could pursue football - they moved from south London to Hertfordshire closer to Arsenal's training base. "The commitment that the whole family had for me, a 10-year-old with a vision" showed how dedicated they were.
Harbert says there's no point in shying away from the fact that senior players are usually around 25-26 years old, but she is focusing on gaining as much experience as possible. "At 18 you are sitting there thinking: 'When is that going to be possible for me?' The main thing at my age is just to be getting senior minutes in and that senior exposure under my belt."
The midfielder has a long-term plan with her parent club, which includes loans like the one she's on now. She says "If it's not going to be at my parent club then they have a plan in place for me." The aim is to eventually come back to Arsenal and hopefully compete to start.
Laila Harbert has shown that even when faced with setbacks, football can be a source of motivation - watching Agyemang and Reid do what they've done motivates her to keep working hard.
Harbert, 18, joined Watford on a dual agreement two years ago and now trains with Portland Thorns in the US. "It challenges you on the small details," she says about training with boys at Arsenal's academy from the age of nine. The midfielder has said that playing with the boys helped her to move faster and play at higher speeds, skills she is bringing back to her game.
As a child, Harbert's family made sacrifices so she could pursue football - they moved from south London to Hertfordshire closer to Arsenal's training base. "The commitment that the whole family had for me, a 10-year-old with a vision" showed how dedicated they were.
Harbert says there's no point in shying away from the fact that senior players are usually around 25-26 years old, but she is focusing on gaining as much experience as possible. "At 18 you are sitting there thinking: 'When is that going to be possible for me?' The main thing at my age is just to be getting senior minutes in and that senior exposure under my belt."
The midfielder has a long-term plan with her parent club, which includes loans like the one she's on now. She says "If it's not going to be at my parent club then they have a plan in place for me." The aim is to eventually come back to Arsenal and hopefully compete to start.
Laila Harbert has shown that even when faced with setbacks, football can be a source of motivation - watching Agyemang and Reid do what they've done motivates her to keep working hard.
. I mean, Laila Harbert's story is definitely motivating, but let's be real, ACL injuries are a harsh reality for young athletes 
. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, especially when you're chasing your dreams and have to deal with setbacks like this.
. And it's great that she's got a solid plan with her parent club, which includes loans like this one – it shows they're invested in her long-term development 
.
. But Harbert's attitude is definitely the right one: focus on gaining experience, exposure, and senior minutes, and the rest will follow 
. Fingers crossed she can make it back to Arsenal and compete at the highest level! 
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she's like the ultimate inspiration for all young girls out there who wanna play football but might face obstacles along the way. i mean can u even imagine having to move ur whole family just so u can pursue ur passion for football? it's wild 
her parents sacrificed so much for her and now she's out here grinding, training with the boys at arsenal's academy from a young age... it's like she's got this fire in her belly that's driving her to succeed 
and i am living for it 
its not like shes getting any younger, right? Idk about the whole "moving from south London to Hertfordshire" thing tho, didnt she make sacrifices by moving away or what? anyway, Im hyped that shes bringing back skills from training with boys lol, maybe shes gonna be the next equal pay champion 
you know how frustrating it is when someone you look up to gets injured, especially in your sport? 
it's not always easy to deal with setbacks, but seeing your friends/role models push through is actually what motivates you to keep grinding 
but at the same time Laila is like the ultimate motivator for them to keep pushing themselves 
hope she gets back to Arsenal soon & makes it happen 
u know i was thinkin about laila harbert and her fam makin sacrifices for her 2 chase her football dreams 
its wild how much dedication goes into trainin with boys instead of girls her story shows that even w/ setbacks, ur passion can drive u forward 
. It's all about gaining experience and exposure at her age and who knows maybe this loan will help her get back to Arsenal and compete for a start 
the thing that got me is how much harbert's family sacrificed for her to chase her dreams 
. and you know what's even more inspiring? how she's using this opportunity to help her injured teammates, michelle and katie 
I'm so inspired by Laila's story! It's crazy how her family made sacrifices for her to chase her dream, moving from south London to Hertfordshire just for her to train with Arsenal's academy 
. Now she's getting the chance to shine at Watford and gain experience with the Portland Thorns... it's amazing how she's taking those setbacks as motivation to work even harder 
. I mean, who doesn't love seeing someone come up through the ranks and make their own way? 
. But Laila's story is inspiring – she took the positives from playing with boys & now she's gonna get those senior minutes 
but its awesome that Laila's getting more playing time 
gotta love how dedicated her fam was for her move from south London to Hertfordshire 
Harbert's got a clear goal in mind - getting senior minutes & maybe even back to Arsenal 
. But Laila's injury has given her the chance to shine and it's amazing how she's taking every opportunity to learn from the boys at Arsenal's academy 