Theo Walcott has begun the season in sparkling form after having being left out of Roy Hodgson’s England squad for Euro 2016.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has paid tribute to Theo Walcott’s impressive start to the season, hailing his maturity as a player in an interview with the Times.
The former Southampton winger has bounced back from a Euro 2016 snub to net three goals in the Gunners’ first six league games of the season. The 27-year-old had looked as though his 10-season career at the Emirates Stadium was coming to an end after an out-of-sorts campaign which saw many fans revolt against his continued selection.
Following goals against Liverpool, Hull City and Chelsea, Wenger has now claimed the England international has put the disappointment of missing out on a plane ticket to France behind him and has become a more rounded player.
Speaking to The Times, Wenger said “He’s matured. When a player survives this type of disappointment from what was promised for him at 16, the way he dealt with the situation I always felt there as something special in this guy.”
After being benched for the remaining three games of last season, the England man has started all six of Arsenal’s league games thus far. He has completed four of them, which is already twice as many as he managed last season.
“He’s intelligent, Theo,” he said. “He assesses well his own performances. He used to be 90 per cent forward and 10 per cent defending. Today he’s 50-50. He does the job both ways and he does it with commitment. I said at the start of the season that we’d see a different Theo Walcott.”
Arsenal welcome Basel to the Emirates in the Champions League on Wednesday night, as they look to stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight.
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