Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hoping that Theo Walcott’s injury isn’t a serious one after the English winger had to pull out of the game againt Stoke City earlier today.
The forward-man was initially named in the starting line-up to take on Mark Hughes’ men, but just minutes before kick-off, he was replaced by Serge Gnabry, an 18-year-old youth player.
Sky Sports reporters suggested that Walcott was missing through an illness picked up on Saturday evening, but after the game, Wenger confirmed that he is fearful that it could be a long-term injury.
“We hope we haven’t lost Walcott for a long time. He has a muscular abdominal problem but I don’t know how serious it is,” Wenger told BBC Sport.
“Is it a question of days? I hope so. He had a little problem before the Marseille game and it became a bit worse.
“It is a bit mysterious because we don’t really know what it is.”
The Gunners didn’t miss Walcott however as they eased to a 3-1 victory against Stoke thanks to goals from Aaron Ramsey, Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
