Theo Walcott, who was a miss for Arsenal during Sunday’s 3-1 win over visiting Stoke, will miss the next three weeks of action, the England international set to have abdominal surgery Wednesday in Germany. Set to undergo a procedure the club described as “minor,” Arsene Wenger’s first choice right wing will miss Wednesday’s League Cup match at West Bromwich Albion, Premier League games at Swansea and West Brom, and the Gunners’ Oct. 1 Champions League tie against visiting Napoli.
The procedure means Walcott will also miss England’s last two World Cup qualifiers. The Three Lions, currently first in Group H, close their qualifying campaign with home matches against Montenegro (Oct. 11) and Poland (Oct. 15).
The club announced the news on their web site earlier today:
The winger missed Sunday’s win over Stoke City after developing slight damage to his posterior abdominal wall. As a result, it has been decided that Theo should undergo the minor procedure, which will enable him to start his recovery immediately afterwards.
Speaking to Arsenal.com, Arsène Wenger said: “Theo will be out for a few weeks. 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 on Wednesday 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.”
In five all-competition appearances this season, Walcott has a goal and an assist, with his second half goal at Marseille last Wednesday opening the scoring in Arsenal’s 2-1 Champions League win. That production’s been a step own from last season’s break-out, when Walcott posted career highs in goals (21) and assists (14). Thanks to tomorrow’s surgery, Walcott will have to wait until at least Oct. 19’s visit from Norwich City to try to re-capture his form.
More broadly, the injury will further delay Wenger’s opportunity to play his first choice midfield together. Since Mesut Özil’s debut at Sunderland, Santi Cazorla’s been out, the Spaniard having picked up an injury on international duty. While Cazorla may return as early as next Tuesday, we won’t know how Wenger will setup his choice team until after Walcott’s fully healthy.
