England will be without hobbled Walcott

England forward Theo Walcott will miss this year's World Cup in Brazil after being ruled out for at least six months with a knee injury, his club, Arsenal, said on Monday.

Walcott suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee during Premier League leader Arsenal's 2-0 FA Cup win at home overTottenham Hotspur on Saturday.

An Arsenal statement said Walcott is "expected to be out for at least six months, therefore missing the remainder of the (English) season and the World Cup in Brazil in the summer".