Theo Walcott: Arsenal will push on if we follow Alexis Sanchez’s lead

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Arsenal’s Theo Walcott has lavished praise on teammate Alexis Sanchez.

Arsenal attacker Theo Walcott believes the Gunners will push on if more players display the same sort of attitude and determination as teammate Alexis Sanchez, the Daily Star reports.

The Chile international joined the Gunners last summer, trading Barcelona for North London in a move which certainly excited a large proportion of the Emirates crowd.

His debut season at the club didn’t disappoint as the 26-year-old contributed an astonishing 16 goals and eight assists in 34 Premier League matches – a record as good as any playmaker in England.

Yet, aside from his attacking brilliance, Walcott has also been left astounded by his colleague’s attitude and desire to succeed, calling on his fellow teammates to follow suit for the good of the club.

“I always see Alexis practising even on warm-down days and I join in at times. He has played 50 games and he is out every day training. But that is just his mentality,” Walcott explained.

“He sees the ball like a little kid and wants to play with it. It is great seeing some players doing a bit more. I think the more players we have with that attitude, the club is going to push on.”

As per the table provided by Opta Stats, Sanchez excelled in a number of key areas during his debut campaign in North London and was rightfully nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award.

Aside from his goals and assists, the former Udinese favourite averaged 3.46 shots, 2.31 key passes and 3.29 successful take-ons per Premier League fixture.

However, arguably his most appreciated tally of the season was his average 5.4 ball recoveries per encounter, illustrating his willingness to help out defensively and selflessly work for the team.