Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was growing in importance for Liverpool and England. Since switching to his preferred central midfield position on a regular basis, the 24-year-old’s boundless energy and driving runs have been a key feature of the Anfield club’s impressive Champions League campaign.
Unfortunately, he had to be withdrawn in the 15th minute of Tuesday’s first leg of the semi-final against Roma and scans have revealed knee ligament damage that rules him out of the rest of the season as well as Russia 2018. He’s not the first England player to miss out on a World Cup through injury; here are five others who had to receive that same devastating news.
Robbie Fowler – 1998
Regarded as one of the finest natural finishers that English football has ever seen, Fowler never quite reached the heights that many hoped he would after bursting onto the scene in such spectacular fashion as a teenager. The Liverpool icon faced stiff competition from a strong group of strikers but was in good form heading towards the World Cup until a knee injury saw him sidelined for six months. Young teammate Michael Owen continued his rise to prominence in Fowler’s absence.
Steven Gerrard – 2002
Gerrard broke into the England team shortly before Euro 2000, narrowly making the cut for the final squad, but he made just one substitute appearance as Kevin Keegan’s side crashed out in the group stage. The midfielder was set to be more heavily involved in Japan and South Korea under Sven-Goran Eriksson before a groin injury ruled him out of contention on the eve of the tournament. Nicky Butt replaced Gerrard in the team and earned praise for his disciplined performances as England reached the quarter-finals.
Ledley King – 2006
A classy defender who was both strong in the tackle and comfortable on the ball, injuries regrettably defined King’s career. In later years his knees were in such a state that he was barely able to train and just focused on getting through matches. Ahead of the 2006 World Cup, a broken foot from a clash with Everton’s Duncan Ferguson was the cause of the problem. Eriksson decided to leave the centre-back, who he also used in a holding midfield role on occasions, at home as he struggled to recover in time.
David Beckham – 2010
Fabio Capello had a complicated relationship with Beckham during their spell together at Real Madrid. Jettisoned from the team after agreeing to join LA Galaxy, he forced his way back into the reckoning, impressing the Italian with his ultra-professional attitude in training. Beckham remained an important element of Capello’s England squads even as age caught up with him, but a ruptured achilles tendon ruled him out of what would have been his fourth World Cup. Despite having no defined role, he still travelled with the squad to South Africa.
Theo Walcott – 2014
Somehow Walcott has never made a World Cup appearance, and that state of affairs doesn’t look like changing this summer. He was taken to the tournament in Germany as a raw 17-year-old in 2006 but remained on the bench throughout, even as Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney struggled with injuries. He was controversially left out by Fabio Capello in 2010. Four years on and Walcott was ruled out with a knee injury picked up in a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup third round.