Injured Walcott out of World Cup

Arsenal's Theo Walcott will miss the World Cup after
being ruled out for at least six months with a knee
injury.

The England forward, 24, was injured during the 2-0
FA Cup third-round victory over Tottenham on
Saturday.
An Arsenal statement read:(external) "Theo has
sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of
his left knee.
"He will have surgery in the near future and is
expected to be out for at least six months, thus
missing the rest of the season and the World Cup."
Walcott's Arsenal team-mate Aaron Ramsey
(external) wrote on Twitter: "Gutted for Theo, he'll
come back stronger after this. Been fantastic for us
so far this season. Have a speedy recovery mate."
The World Cup starts on 12 June, with England's
first match against Italy two days later.
Walcott has been capped 36 times by the Three
Lions, scoring five goals, with England winning 27 of
those matches, drawing seven and losing just
twice.
However, he sat out the final two World Cup
qualifiers against Montenegro and Poland because
of injury, with Tottenham's Andros Townsend
excelling in his absence on the right wing.
The pair had been expected to be in direct
competition for a starting place in Brazil under
manager Roy Hodgson.
Walcott made his senior international debut as a
substitute for Michael Owen in a friendly against
Hungary on 30 May 2006, making him England's
youngest ever player at 17 years and 75 days.
He is yet to play at a World Cup finals, despite being
a surprise selection in Sven-Goran Eriksson's
squad in 2006. Fabio Capello did not take Walcott to
the 2010 tournament but the forward subsequently
re-established himself under the Italian, earning
selection for Euro 2012 and scoring in a 3-2 win
over Sweden in the group stages.
Walcott's injury comes as a significant blow to club
and country on the same day the Football
Association said it would take no further action
against him over his gesture to Tottenham fans as
he was carried from the field during Saturday's
game.
He did not appear to be in severe pain as he was
carried off, signalling the scoreline to Spurs'
supporters.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger said Walcott, who
missed two months of the season with a stomach
injury and has scored five Premier League goals
since returning in November, was reacting to having
coins thrown at him.
Wenger is expected to be without Denmark striker
Nicklas Bendtner for all of January with an ankle
injury, while France forward Olivier Giroud has
missed Arsenal's past two games through a
combination of illness and an ankle knock.
The Gunners lead the Premier League by a point
from Manchester City and face Bayern Munich in
the last 16 of the Champions League next month as
they bid to end their nine-year trophy drought.
Walcott was signed from Southampton in 2006 for
an initial £5m, rising to about £12.5m - a record fee
for a teenager.
The Arsenal statement continued: "Everyone at
Arsenal wishes Theo a speedy recovery and we
look forward to seeing him back on a football pitch
as soon as possible."
Former Arsenal defender and BBC pundit Martin
Keown wrote on Twitter:(external) "Shocking news
for Theo Walcott, devastated for him.
"Hope he comes back stronger, he'll have a great
medical team around him. Big loss."