Arsenal are set to be without Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for three games due to injuries sustained in the League Cup defeat to Sheffield Wednesday.
Both players had to be substituted in the first half of Tuesday’s defeat to the Championship outfit – Walcott with a calf problem and Oxlade-Chamberlain a hamstring injury.
Reports suggest that the pair will miss Saturday’s visit to Swansea, a tough and important UEFA Champions League trip to Bayern Munich, followed by the north London Derby a week on Sunday against Spurs.
That would almost certainly rule the Englishmen out of Roy Hodgson’s squad to face Spain and France as well, which will be a blow to the duo’s 2016 European Championship hopes.
The England manager recently expressed his intentions of fielding strong teams in the two friendlies due to the calibre of the opponents with a clear purpose of preparing for the tournament next summer.
Oxlade-Chamberlain had to be substituted early in the game, leaving his replacement little time to warm-up. That has seemingly proved costly for Walcott, whose injury is said to be slightly worse.
Arsene Wenger admitted after the game that he regretted fielding a such an experienced side, calling the injuries a “big blow”.
