Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has suffered an ankle injury while training with England ahead of their friendly against Scotland on Wednesday. The injury is likely to make him ineligible for Arsenal's opening Premier League game against Aston Villa on 17 August.

Theo Walcott
Reuters

However, England manager Roy Hodgson believes that the knock is innocuous and the player will be available for selection on Wednesday. This is likely to calm the nerves of Arsenal fans, who are still waiting for a major addition to their strike force. An injury to Walcott, who was their highest goal scorer last season, will make them seriously short up front, which is the last thing Arsene Wenger needs right now.

"Theo took a slight knock at the end of training, but we believe he'll be okay. He's very much still in contention," Hodgson said.

The Gunners are currently waiting on a resolution over Luis Suarez who is Wenger's top target this summer. However, Liverpool have issued a hands-off warning on the striker while Brendan Rodgers and owner John W Henry have confirmed that the player will not be sold to Arsenal at any cost. Wenger is still hopeful of a deal and is planning to make a £50m bid for the striker in the next few days.

Meanwhile, former Arsenal midfielder Ray parlour believes that Wenger needs to spend on some quality players if they have to challenge for the title. The Gunners have also been linked with a move for Luis Gustavo who will add some much needed steel to the Arsenal midfield. Gustavo was a regular in Bayern's treble winning squad last season but does not feature in new manager, Pep Guardiola's future plans.

"They definitely need a couple of players. Everybody is waiting for a signing, a real big key player. Suarez would be a massive player for Arsenal if they signed him. Arsene Wenger will still be looking at buying players and I'm hoping he can bring in two of three before the season starts. It would give Arsenal every chance. He has got lots of players in the squad and he needs players now who are really going to strengthen the team. He needs a couple of key signings," Parlour told talkSPORT.