Arsenal and England striker Danny Welbeck has undergone knee surgery and is set to be out of action for the next nine months.
The Premier League club announced the news on Wednesday, ruling Welbeck out of Euro 2016 and a large part of next season.
Arsenal said on their website: “Danny Welbeck has had surgery to his right knee. Specialists determined surgery was required after scans and tests revealed significant cartilage damage.
“Danny will miss the Euro 2016 Championship in the summer and his full recovery is expected to take approximately nine months.”
Welbeck suffered his injury blow in Sunday’s 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
See also:
• Jonathan Raymond's five games to watch: Friday football, Barcelona and Real Madrid gunning for the title
• Steve Luckings: Forget Leicester, what about the topsy-turvy seasons for Spurs, Arsenal, Man City and the rest?
• Gallery: Alexis Sanchez keeps Arsenal in play for second against Manchester City
The news is a crushing blow for the 25-year-old striker, who only returned in mid-February from a 10-month lay-off due to an injury to his other knee.
Welbeck scored five times after returning for Arsenal and responded to the injury setback on Twitter, posting: “I will be back stronger!” along with an emoji for strength.
The development is terrible timing for England as the forward would likely have played a key role in Roy Hodgson’s side at Euro 2016, having scored six goals in qualification.
Hodgson planned to name his 23-man squad on Thursday, but pushed the announcement back to Monday to assess his players’ fitness after the final round of Premier League fixtures.
Welbeck joins teammate at club and country Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on the sidelines, while questions remain over Jack Wilshere having only made two substitute appearances this term.
Everton defender Phil Jagielka has been out with a hamstring injury in recent weeks and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson has just returned to outdoor training after a knee ligament injury sustained last month.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport