Tuesday 7 January 2014 09:43, UK
Ray Parlour says Theo Walcott's season-ending injury is a "massive blow" for Arsenal and England.
The Gunners' worst fears were confirmed just a few hours after the Football Association decided the player would face no disciplinary action for his hand gesture. "The club regrettably announces that Theo Walcott has sustained a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee," Arsenal said in a statement. "Theo will have surgery in London in the near future and is expected to be out for at least six months, therefore missing the remainder of the season and the World Cup in Brazil in the summer. "Everyone at Arsenal wishes Theo a speedy recovery and we look forward to seeing him back on a football pitch as soon as possible." The full diagnosis of Walcott's knee problem is now likely to have a knock-on impact to Wenger's plans on how best to bolster his squad during the January window in an attempt to last the distance in the battle for honours. The attacking options of the Barclay Premier League leaders were already depleted, given Bendtner is expected to miss all of January with the ankle problem he picked up while scoring a late goal in the 2-0 win over Cardiff on New Year's Day, while France Under-21 forward Yaya Sanogo is also way short of match sharpness.
