Theo Walcott out of Poland match

Theo Walcott will play no part in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier against Poland after being ruled out with a chest injury.



Walcott was injured in the opening minutes of Friday night's 5-0 win over San Marino after a collision with goalkeeper Aldo Simoncini.



He seemed to be struggling to breathe normally and was accompanied to hospital by the England team doctor Ian Beasley and kept in overnight for observation.



"Theo Walcott has been ruled out of the FIFA World Cup qualifier with Poland on Tuesday with a chest injury," the Football Association said in a statement.



"The Arsenal forward was taken to hospital following a collision with the San Marino goalkeeper on Friday night. He was monitored overnight as a precaution and, following scan results today, will return to his club for further treatment."



While no exact diagnosis has been revealed, Walcott looked in trouble immediately after the incident, which left manager Roy Hodgson very unhappy.



"I don't think it is going to be good," he said. "He is in hospital overnight. We can only hope it is bad bruising but he was pretty badly beaten up."



With Aaron Lennon and Adam Johnson already in his squad, it seems unlikely Hodgson will call up any replacements.



But, despite Simoncini's awful challenge, for which he was lucky not to receive a red card, Hodgson refused to join the critics who claim San Marino have no place in international football.



Since they became a member of FIFA in 1990, Friday night's Wembley visitors have won just once - against Liechtenstein in 2004.



The predictably one-sided statistics showed England had 25 shots to San Marino's single off-target effort, enjoyed an 86% share of possession and won the corner count 17-0.



Analysis is utterly meaningless given the pattern of play did not change from the first minute to the last and, as Hodgson observed, the most significant event of the evening was Ukraine's surprise failure to overcome Moldova in Chisinau which means England have a three-point advantage in Group H.



Little wonder TV pundit Gareth Southgate felt moved to question: "What is the point of San Marino?"



Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's sentiments may be even more pointed once he gets a good look at Walcott. And it is not as if a republic that covers just 24 square miles and boasts a population of 32,000 - roughly the same size as Bishops Stortford - could ever realistically show any significant improvement. However, Hodgson is not decrying their existence as a footballing nation.



"It's up to UEFA and FIFA to decide which countries are allowed into their competitions," he said. "San Marino have been in the Euros and the World Cup for some years.



"They play the way they play and do the best they can with the resources they have. We knew it was going to be attack versus defense.



"But I watched their matches against Montenegro and Moldova and it was a lot less attack against defense than our game. We can't accuse them of playing a dirty game of football.



"There weren't too many vicious fouls. There was one, which is the one which bothers us. But I wouldn't suggest they shouldn't be allowed in the competition."



It is a credit to the FA's marketing team that a crowd in excess of 84,000 turned out to watch the one-sided encounter. Equally, Hodgson was fairly astute leaving out Ashley Cole, while also getting Michael Carrick and Wayne Rooney away from harm's way once the result had been confirmed.



With the knee injury that kept Frank Lampard out on Friday night due to be assessed when the England squad meet up again on Sunday, Carrick may well be required against Poland in Warsaw on Tuesday. Rooney certainly will for a game Hodgson knows will be far more taxing that Friday night's affair.



"Alongside ourselves and Ukraine, Poland bear the burden of being favorites and it will be a tough game," Hodgson said.



History favors the Three Lions, who have lost just once in 17 meetings with Poland.



Another win would allow them to take a stranglehold on the only automatic qualifying spot - especially after Ukraine's unexpected stumble in Chisinau, where England scored five last month.



"We've opened St George's Park, entertained the crowd and scored five goals. And also Ukraine's result means we clawed back the two points we lost against them at Wembley last month."



"I go away satisfied with the week," he said.

Walcott and Sturridge miss training

Daniel Sturridge and Theo Walcott failed to attend England's training session on Monday morning due to illness, just one day before the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley.



Despite the pair training on Sunday, they both complained that they had felt unwell overnight, leaving Roy Hodgson with just 18 players at Arsenal's London Colney training complex.



It follows a frustrating period for Hodgson in which a range of players have had to withdraw from the squad due to injury, with John Terry the most recent.



A further update on the duo's condition will be given when Hodgson stages his pre-match press conference on Monday afternoon.

Walcott set to stay at Arsenal

Theo Walcott looks set to stay at Arsenal after holding showdown talks with Arsene Wenger at the club's training ground.



It is understood Walcott did not back down over his contract demands but gave assurances he definitely wanted to stay with the Gunners in the long-term.



Arsenal had been braced for the prospect of selling Walcott before the transfer window closes on Friday but they are now happy to continue negotiations beyond then and effectively risk losing him for nothing next summer.



That is a scenario the club have not been prepared to tolerate in the past, having decided to sell a host of big name players in recent years as they have entered the final year of their contract.



The difference with Walcott is that there is genuine hope an agreement can be reached, although how Arsenal and manager Wenger would react to a big-money bid in the next 48 hours remains to be seen.



Walcott, who has been valued between £12million and £15million, has already been linked with Liverpool this summer.



Reports suggest Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City are also interested in adding the England star to their ever-increasing arsenal of former Gunners after seeing a bid for Swansea's Scott Sinclair rejected.



It is understood Arsenal offered Walcott a contract worth around £75,000-a-week, reportedly for the next five years.



But the player himself is after a better deal - nearer £100,000-a-week according to reports, while he is also seeking assurances about his position in the team.



Losing Walcott would be viewed by many as another huge blow to Arsenal, who sold captain Robin van Persie to Manchester United earlier this month.



Alex Song quickly followed by joining Barcelona, who signed Cesc Fabregas from the Gunners last summer, which also saw Gael Clichy and Samir Nasri move to City.



Walcott was one of Van Persie's main providers last season as the Dutchman notched 37 goals, with Walcott himself scoring 11.



He has often been criticised for a lack of consistency at both club and international level and Arsenal team-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was preferred by England manager Roy Hodgson at this summer's European Championship.



Walcott, who joined the Gunners from Southampton as a 16-year-old in 2006, started their home game with Sunderland on the opening day of the season but was left on the bench for Sunday's match at Stoke, eventually coming on after 72 minutes in what was their second straight goalless draw.



A lack of goals has seen Wenger's summer signings come under scrutiny but one of them, Olivier Giroud, has denied he is feeling the pressure of helping fill the shoes of Van Persie.



"I'm not the kind of person to put negative pressure on my shoulders," the France striker told Arsenal Player.



"It's true that Robin had a very, very good season last year but I'm not here to make everyone forget about him or to replace him.



"I only want to take my place, gradually make my mark and win over the hearts of the fans.



"In our way, we are two different players. He spent eight years here and had a very good season last year.



"I need a little adjustment time but I hope to make my mark as quickly as possible. And I hope to score a lot of goals."



Giroud, who signed for Arsenal after a prolific campaign with Montpellier, claimed playing in front of fellow new boy Santi Cazorla would help him adapt.



"It's the same gameplan that we had at Montpellier and the same plan I played with in the French national team, with a number 10 like Cazorla behind me," he said.



"It's the same tactical plan I am used to so I am not lost, I know how to play in relation to my partners and it's just a little adjustment that is needed to make things automatic on the pitch."