Walcott out for up to six weeks to add to Wenger’s woe
ARSENE WENGER has spoken of another nightmare international week after Theo Walcott was ruled out for up to six weeks with an ankle injury.
The 21-year-old winger was stretchered off after just 13 minutes of England’s 3-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday night.
Walcott joins Robin van Persie in the queue for the treatment table at the Emirates after the Dutch striker was ruled out for a similar amount of time after suffering an ankle injury against Blackburn a fortnight ago.
It isn’t the first time Wenger has fallen foul of international week – Van Persie was ruled out for six months after suffering ligament damage while playing for Holland last November.
“The tackle looked quite bad,” Wenger said when asked about Walcott. “When you see how it turned his ankle I thought it would be three or four days or it would be four to six weeks. Unfortunately it will be four to six weeks. We had some good news about the scan because at some stage we were scared it could be worse. But overall it is a question of patience and rehabilitation.”
Of Van Persie’s latest injury, Wenger added: “That is bad news. At the start we were optimistic. Maybe a bit too much, thinking it would be one or two weeks. But the damage was bigger than expected and he will be four to six weeks.”
The good news for Wenger, however, is that Samir Nasri has recovered quicker than expected after knee surgery and could even replace Walcott for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Bolton.
The boss is also hoping to welcome back Johan Djourou and Denilson to the squad, as well as new signing Sebastien Squillaci, who could well make his debut after coming through a reserve match in midweek.