Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger salutes Theo Walcott for surviving ten years of hurt

ARSENE WENGER put aside celebrations of his 20th anniversary to focus on Theo Walcott’s ten years of hurt.

Arsenal’s boss saluted the Premier League’s most enigmatic striker’s mental strength to cope with massive ups and downs with England.

Walcott was 17 when SvenGoran Eriksson thrust him  into the limelight at the 2006 World Cup where he never played a minute.

He has not been back since and a goal at Euro 2012 is the highpoint of Walcott’s international career.

Chuck in injuries and inconsistency and Wenger reckons Walcott should be one hell of a mixed up kid.

But he is pleased to report that after a  summer sit-down, the one-time wonderkid may have at last found the right path into the future.

Funnily enough, that pathway is accepting Wenger’s long-standing theory that he cannot be a full-time forward.

There is a job to be done at the back, too.

Wenger said: “I spoke to him about the disappointment of not going to the Euros with England. He went at 17 to the World Cup. We are now at 2016 and he hasn't been to another World Cup.

“He has 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 was something special in this guy.

“Theo used to be 90 per cent forward and ten per cent defending. Today he is 50-50.

“He does the job both ways and he does it both ways with commitment. And I always felt there is character and intelligence in this boy.

“What was a big blow for him was not to go to the Euros. He is a guy with a good assessment of his performances and qualities. I said many times at the start of the season that we would see a different Theo Walcott. I could see he made a  decision and sticks to it.

“Sometimes you find yourself in the gym with a player and you talk. It depends. You catch the opportunities when it is there. Sometimes it is formal sometimes it’s informal

“In pre-season you don’t have the pressure of the next game, sometimes you are a bit more relaxed.

“He is intelligent, Theo. He assesses well his own performances. He is 27, it’s a very important age.”

Walcott has scored three goals this season — one the clinical finishing touch to a sweeping Arsenal move to make it 2-0 in Saturday’s destruction of Chelsea.

Walcott’s pace was a perfect complement to first goal-scorer Alex Sanchez’s sublime skill, to Mezut Ozil’s daring turns — and spec­tacular mis-hit goal for No 3.

It all came together in a swashbuckling performance to crush a Chelsea team which usually only has to turn up to beat Arsenal with their physicality and doggedness.

Wenger said: “We showed we can play the style of football we want to play.

“That is based on pressure on the opponent, play with connections, with pace. I know we can do that.

“Collectively, we could play together at a high pace. That is what football is about. It’s not about one player. It’s not me, me, me.”

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