The Boy, The Myth

England’s boy wonder, Theo Walcott, experienced what may be a career-defining moment this week.

Amongst a huge number of supporters, no one has championed his cause more than his club manager, Arsene Wenger.

But when the Arsenal boss’s patience with the winger has been exhausted it is time for Walcott to start worrying.

What seemed like a routine press-conference ahead of a similarly routine Champions League tie – home to Standard Liege – was turned into a Wenger tirade punctuated by the odd four-letter word thrown in for good measure.

What triggered it was yet another question directed by the English media to Wenger about the most hyped Premier League footballer of his generation. 

“Will Walcott’s return [from his latest injury lay-off] be good for England’s World Cup hopes?”, was the gist of the enquiry.

Wenger’s retort was not what the gathered throng would have anticipated.

To sum up, Wenger let everyone in the room be made aware of the fact that Walcott’s selection for the England squad should in no way be guaranteed and the 20-year-old should concentrate on delivering the goods for his club for the rest of the season.

Rarely, if ever, has a negative comment been levelled in the direction of Walcott by Wenger since he signed the player in January 2006.

Almost four years later, however, and Walcott’s influence on the Arsenal team remains peripheral.

And Wenger knows it.

Arsenal face their most important game of the season so far on Sunday when they host Chelsea.

Lose that match and they can kiss goodbye to any fleeting hopes of winning the title for another year.

Will Walcott making the starting line-up?

Almost certainly not.

In mitigation he is only just returning from injury, but the chances are he would not have been risked in the starting line-up for such a match of high-importance even if he had been fit for several weeks.

When Patrice Evra branded last season’s Champions League semi-finals between Manchester United and Arsenal as ‘men against boys’, there was no more junior player, in stature and impact, on the opposition than Walcott.

That despite the fact that he had already made 100 first-team appearances for Arsenal by that stage, and scored a hat-trick for England.

Not that his three goals against Croatia did him any favours.

All that freak turn of events did was to raise the level of expectation still further.

He may still be ‘only’ 20 but the vast majority of footballers who have gone on to become world-class footballers were offering far more to their club side at that age than Walcott does to Arsenal.

That Walcott remains a liability in matches against the top sides – and his solo assist in the Champions League against Liverpool in 2008 does not make up for all of his other displays when he has resembled a ‘little boy lost’ – should be a concern to himself, Arsenal and England.

Now that Wenger has finally revealed his reservations, there may be a few other believers starting to doubt themselves.

Then we will really see what Walcott is made of.        

Greg Lansdowne