Arsenal and England have been dealt a cruel blow after Theo Walcott was ruled out for the rest of the season and this summer’s World Cup in Brazil after suffering serious knee ligament damage during Saturday’s FA Cup victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
Walcott jarred his left knee while making a tackle on Danny Rose nine minutes from the end of the home side’s 2-0 victory in the north London derby and departed the turf on a stretcher while being pelted with coins and plastic bottles thrown from the away support.
The early indications were that the 24-year-old had only strained the ligaments in the joint, an injury that would keep him out for up to four weeks at most, though scans undertaken yesterday confirmed the damage was far more extensive.
The forward has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in the knee and will undergo surgery to repair the joint in London within the next two weeks once the swelling has receded. Arsenal confirmed last night that they expect him to be absent for “at least six months”, prematurely curtailing his campaign and denying him the chance to compete at the summer tournament in Brazil.
"Everyone at Arsenal wishes Theo a speedy recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on a football pitch as soon as possible," said a club statement.
Significant blow
His absence represents a significant blow for club and country. Walcott had already missed a little over two months of the season because of an abdominal problem that required surgery, he returned in late November and had registered five goals in six starts. This suggested he was embarking on a scoring spree similar to that of last season to alleviate some of the pressure on the Premier League leaders' main striker, Olivier Giroud.
The severity of the injury will now surely force Arsene Wenger into the transfer market during the winter window to reinforce his forward ranks, particularly with Nicklas Bendtner also absent with an ankle injury for the foreseeable future.
The Frenchman is acutely aware that his side's form over the first half of the season – they are a point clear of Manchester City at the top, face Bayern Munich in the knock-out phase of the Champions League and Coventry City in the FA Cup fourth round – has ensured this is their best opportunity of claiming silverware since 2005, with additions required to maintain momentum.
Goalless draw
While Wenger will find that difficult mid-season, the England manager Roy Hodgson has been left contemplating the loss of a player who had felt guaranteed of a place in his 23-man World Cup squad. Walcott has featured in 14 of the manager's games, including all four of their fixtures at Euro 2012, the last of which was the goalless draw in Ukraine in September prior to suffering the abdominal injury.
The previously uncapped Tottenham winger Andros Townsend excelled in his absence for the final two qualifiers, though both were expected to make the party for Brazil.
There was support from Walcott’s club-mates on Monday, with Aaron Ramsey tweeting: “Gutted for Theo. He’ll come back stronger after this. Been fantastic for us so far this season.” Yet the injury represents a sickening setback for Walcott, whose international career has extended to 36 caps and five goals, but whose brushes with the World Cup have felt jinxed to date.
Selected surprisingly by Sven-Goran Eriksson for the 2006 finals in Germany – he was his country's youngest ever player at 17 years and 75 days – the forward was unused throughout the tournament itself. Tthe player was discarded by Fabio Capello on the eve of the finals in South Africa, a decision the Italian has subsequently admitted was a mistake.
Guardian Service
