Arsenal´s Walcott sidelined for up to six weeks

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott will be sidelined for up to six weeks after suffering an ankle injury on England duty.

Walcott was forced off in the first half of England’s 3-1 Euro 2012 victory over Switzerland in Basel on Tuesday after colliding with a defender in the build-up to Wayne Rooney’s early goal.

The 21-year-old has had scans after returning to Arsenal this week and Gunners boss Arsene Wenger admitted on Thursday that Walcott is likely to be out for between four to six weeks.

“The tackle looked quite bad. When you see how it turned his ankle I thought it would be three or four days or it would be four to six weeks. Unfortunately it will be four to six weeks,” Wenger told Arsenal’s website.

“We had some good news about the scan because at some stage we were scared it could be worse. But overall it is a question of patience and rehabilitation.”

The injury means Walcott will miss Arsenal’s Champions League ties against Braga and Partizan Belgrade, several Premier League games and England’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley on October 12.