England will be without winger
Theo Walcott for World Cup qualifying matches against San Marino and Montenegro after suffering a thigh injury in training, according to
John Cross of the
Daily Mirror.
The
report states Walcott's injury is not believed to be serious, but it
was bad enough to send him back to England as the squad gets prepared
for road matches on Friday and Tuesday. The
Arsenal star was expected to play a key role for the Three Lions.
Instead, he will return to Emirates with hopes of getting fit in time for the Gunners' clash with
Reading
next weekend. While his status for that match remains uncertain, the
following week against West Brom is a safer target, according to the
report.Walcott is enjoying a breakout season for Arsenal with 18
goals and 15 assists across all competitions. England manager Roy
Hodgson was hoping he would carry that form over to international duty
as the Three Lions look to get back on track.
They currently sit in second place in Group H of UEFA
qualifying after two wins and two draws in their first four matches.
That leaves them two points behind Montenegro for the automatic
qualifying position for next year's World Cup.
How would you rate the loss of Walcott for England?
England should be able to handle San Marino without
Walcott. The overmatched nation has allowed 16 goals and scored none in
its four qualifiers to this point. Anything less than three points in
Friday's clash would be a disaster for Hodgson's side.It would
have been nice to have Walcott available for the key clash with
Montenegro, though. The pace he brings to the outside is irreplaceable
for the Three Lions and will force Hodgson to make some tactical choices
before Tuesday.England doesn't want to fall any further behind
Montenegro, so it needs to find away to put together a strong pair of
showings without him.
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