Walcott injury scuppers Hodgson's World Cup plans after Arsenal frontman is ruled out of England qualifiers



Theo Walcott will not be fit for England’s make-or-break World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Poland.

As revealed by Sportsmail on Monday, the Arsenal forward had a series of tests on a stomach injury that caused him to pull out less than an hour before Sunday’s 3-1 win over Stoke City.



As feared, Walcott will have to have a minor procedure on his abdomen that will see him miss next month’s crucial Brazil 2014 qualifiers.

Benchmark: Theo Walcott (centre) was forced to watch from the stands after injuring himself ahead of the Stoke game

Scuppered: Theo Walcott (left) will miss the next two weeks of action with a stomach injury HARD TO STOMACH...

Capital One Cup - Third Round

25th September West Brom (A)

Premier League

28th September Swansea (A)

Champions League

1st October Napoli (H)

Premier League

6th October Arsenal (A)

World Cup Qualifiers

11th October Montenegro (H)



15th October Poland (H)

Walcott will also be unavailable for Arsenal’s Capital One clash against West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday, as well as the Barclays Premier League clashes against Swansea and the Baggies and the Champions League visit of Napoli next Tuesday. A statement on Arsenal's official website on Tuesday afternoon read: 'Theo Walcott will have a minor procedure on his abdomen in Germany on Wednesday which will keep him out of action until after the next international break.' Gunners boss Arsene Wenger added: '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.'

