Gibbs To Miss Under-21 Tournament

England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce has been dealt a major injury blow ahead of the European Championships this summer with the news that Kieran Gibbs will miss the tournament with an ankle injury.

The Arsenal man was set to play a significant role for Pearce in Denmark and he admits that losing Gibbs is a blow for both the player and the squad.

Pearce said: “It's unfortunate for Kieran, but he went for a scan yesterday and is in a medical boot. We have to deal with setbacks every now and again.”

The most frustrating part of this injury is perhaps how close it has come to the start of the tournament. England take on Spain on Sunday to kick off their campaign and Gibbs would have been looking forward to being involved.

Unfortunately though, injuries have been a major part of his short career to date. Hs has often threatened to break into the Arsenal first-team, but whenever he does, he seems to pick up an injury.

He will just have to take the positives from this. Initially he will be disappointed, but perhaps the extra break from football it will give him can help him be fresh for the start of the new Premier League season.

One man likely to be unhappy with the news of Gibbs injury is Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. The left-back picked up the knock during the Under-21 friendly with Norway at the weekend.

The Frenchman will possibly use this to prove his point about these summer tournaments after fighting to prevent Gunners midfielder Jack Wilshere from taking part.

As for the England Under-21 side, they will attempt to recover from the loss of Gibbs. Their task will be helped by the quality of players they have in their squad though, with Pearce saying: “We are fortunate to have a squad and a staff with previous tournament experience.”

The injury means a chance for another player to shine as England’s youngsters look for team success in Denmark as Gibbs focuses on being fit enough to pull on his football boots come August and be raring to go for Arsenal.