Arsenal Confirm Theo Walcott Blow With Attacker To Undergo Surgery On Wednesday

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has confirmed that Theo Walcott’s abdomen injury will require a small operation and he’s set to miss the next month.

The 24-year-old was forced to pull out of Sunday’s clash with Stoke shortly before kick-off after injuring his abdomen during the warm-up. Wenger initially hoped it was nothing too serious and the attacker could be back playing again within days.

However, the club have confirmed on the official website this afternoon that the injury is worse than first feared and Walcott will undergo a small operation in Germany on Wednesday and will not play again until after the next international break.

Wenger told Arsenal.com:

“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.”

Walcott will now miss Arsenal’s next four games as well as England’s World Cup qualifiers, meaning his return date could be the 19th October when Norwich come to the Emirates.

The news comes as a huge blow at a time when Arsenal’s squad is already stretched by injuries - particularly to the wide attacking areas – with Walcott now joining Lukas Podolski, Santi Cazorla, Tomas Rosicky, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Yaya Sanogo and Abou Diaby on the sidelines.

How bad a miss is Walcott going to be? Share your thoughts below.