England's Theo Walcott ruled out of World Cup
Arsenal star will miss showpiece in Brazil this year because of knee injury that's expected to take six months to heal
England forward Theo Walcott will miss this year’s World Cup in Brazil after being ruled out for at least six months with a knee injury, his club, Arsenal, said.
Walcott suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee during Premier League leaders Arsenal’s 2-0 FA Cup win at home to arch north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.
An Arsenal statement said Walcott was “expected to be out for at least six months, therefore missing the remainder of the [English] season and the World Cup in Brazil in the summer”.
The 24-year-old Walcott jarred his knee towards the end of the match making a tackle and was carried from the field.
What a really big injury this is for Arsenal and England because I’m sure Theo would have been a starter for England in Brazil
Arsenal teammate Aaron Ramsey sympathised with Walcott on Twitter by saying: “Gutted for Theo, he’ll come back stronger after this. Been fantastic for us so far this season. Have a speedy recovery mate.”
Former Arsenal and England midfielder Ray Parlour said Walcott would be a major loss for both club and country. “What a really big injury this is for Arsenal and England because I’m sure Theo would have been a starter for England in Brazil,” Parlour said. “And it must be a massive blow for himself because he’s playing in a very good team at the moment, top of the league, and looking forward to Brazil.