Walcott to miss England World Cup qualifiers

LONDON: Arsenal and England forward Theo Walcott (pic) is to undergo “minor” surgery on his abdomen which will keep him out of action until after next month’s World Cup qualifiers, the Premier League leaders announced on Tuesday.

Walcott’s injury means he will be sidelined from the Wembley fixtures against Montenegro and Poland on Oct 11 and 15 respectively, with England still to book their place at next year’s World Cup Finals in Brazil.

The winger missed Sunday’s win over Stoke City after developing slight damage to his posterior abdominal wall and the club believe Walcott shouldnowundergowhatthe Arsenal website called a “minor procedure” as this will enable him to start his recovery immediately afterwards.

“Theo will be out for a few weeks,” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger told the club website.

“He has developed some damage to his posterior abdominal wall. It’s not a hernia, but it’s a little structural problem in his abdomen.

“He will have the procedure in Germany and, because it’s so minor, we can begin his rehab immediately.

“We are pleased it’s being dealt with quickly and he shouldn’t miss too many Arsenal matches. But he will miss the forthcoming international matches with England,” the Frenchman added.

He joins an Arsenal injury list that already includes Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Santi Cazorla, leaving long-serving manager Wenger with few other options in wide positions.

However, their collective absence has been offset by the sparkling form of club record signing Mesut Ozil.

Indeed it is England manager Roy Hodgson who is likely to be most concerned by Walcott’s forthcoming spell on the sidelines, with the 24year-old having started in his country’s last five internationals.

England need to beat both Montenegro and Poland next month to guarantee their place in Brazil next year. — AFP