Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Dates absent: 22/09/2013 – 21/11/2013, 06/01/2014 – 01/07/2014
Theo Walcott missed two months in the first half of the season due to an abdominal injury, and in January his season was cut short by the rupture of his cruciate knee ligament.
The England flyer is not only one of Arsenal’s most productive players, scoring five goals and supplying five assists in his 13 appearances of the campaign, but also makes the Gunners play better.
Opposition sides have to drop deeper when Walcott plays, as his lightning pace sprinting through the lines can prove devastating to a high line.
That leads to additional space for the likes of Mesut Ozil, Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey to operate in, and Ozil’s recent malaise could at least be partially attributed to Walcott’s absence.