Theo Walcott will make a full recovery from his serious knee injury following successful surgery according to Arsene Wenger.
The Arsenal winger damaged his anterior cruciate ligament during the Gunners 2-0 FA Cup third-round win over Tottenham.
The extent of the injury means Walcott is expected to face six months on the sidelines, ruling him out of this summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
Speaking about the operation, Wenger confirmed that it had gone very well and the focus was now on the 24-year-old’s rehabilitation.
"The damage was real in the knee so he will have to take the needed time, so let's not be hopeful that he will go to the World Cup – that is not possible – but overall his long-term future is very positive," Wenger said to Arsenal Player.
"It is about being fit for next season now.”
Last week the Arsenal manager admitted that he had no fears over Walcott’s game being affected, confident the winger would retain his pace.
"Deep studies show that players around 25 with this type of injury come back as normal."
"When you’re over 29 you never come back exactly the same but if you’re 25 to 28 you come back to the level you had before. "He will come back as good as ever.”
Walcott’s injury adds to a growing list of casualties for the league leaders, who host Fulham this Saturday.
Tomas Rosicky and Nacho Monreal are both major doubts for the clash, with the pair picking up injuries in Monday’s 2-1 victory over Aston Villa.
Skipper Thomas Vermaelen, Mikel Arteta, Aaron Ramsey and Nicklas Bendtner will all definitely remain in the treatment room, leaving Wenger short of options for the visit of their London neighbours.
Despite the fitness concerns, the Gunners boss feels comfortable his squad has enough depth.
"In midfield we have plenty of quality players who you can rotate easily without really feeling, 'today we are weaker'," he said.
"We have fantastic players in midfield and it always allows us to keep what we call the 'engine' of the team fresh.”
Arsenal currently lead Manchester City by a solitary point in the title race, with Manuel Pellegrini’s side hosting Cardiff on Saturday.
