Walcott faces operation and three months on sidelines

Sam Wallace
Wednesday 19 November 2008 20:00 EST
Comments
Theo Walcott may appear for England at the 2012 Games but the dream has died for young players from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
Theo Walcott may appear for England at the 2012 Games but the dream has died for young players from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (GETTY IMAGES)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Theo Walcott has been told by a specialist that he must have surgery on his dislocated right shoulder and he will go ahead with the operation in the next two or three days. Walcott visited a Harley Street specialist yesterday evening having been flown back from Berlin by the Football Association before England's friendly against Germany. Last night the winger's club manager at Arsenal, Arsène Wenger, confirmed that Walcott will miss "at least three months" following the operation.

Having delayed surgery last season on his left shoulder, which had the same problem, Walcott believes that this time he should get the problem fixed before the Champions League resumes. The shoulder was injured in the Berlin Olympic Stadium on Tuesday night after Walcott clashed with Scott Parker during a practice game.

He tried to play on but the shoulder popped out for a second time and he was carried out of the stadium on a stretcher. Walcott has since been told that the problem would have surfaced sooner or later whatever precautions he took. Two years earlier, his left shoulder was troubling him before Christmas but he waited until after the Carling Cup final in February before he went for the operation. On that occasion he delayed because he did not want to end his involvement without making what he thought was a major contribution to the team's season. Having scored in the Carling Cup final he then went ahead. This time around Walcott believes that he should get it done straight away.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in