Players Under The Microscope / Mike Norman / 07 December 2008 /

"Mystical" Mike Norman looks into his crystal ball to predict what the remainder of the season and indeed the next few years hold in store for Arsenal and England's Theo Walcott. The future looks bright...

He is the footballer I was looking forward to seeing more than any other this season, the player that now had to prove he was very much the top-class Premiership footballer many had come to expect, rather than, like so many before him, a brilliant youngster that failed to progress.

I've seen it all before - Danny Cadamarteri, Neil Mellor, Franny Jeffers, Guiseppe Rossi and Kieron Dyer to name but a few - English based youngsters that were touted as having the ability to take the Premiership by storm. But very few actually did. In recent times, only Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney were nationally spoke about as potential world beaters when they were just 15 or 16-year-old..... before going on to become just that.

Now it's Theo Walcott's turn. The boy that signed a sponsorship deal with sports giants Nike at the age of just 14 is now proving that his wonderkid status wasn't just exuberant hype.

Walcott, 19, had a great start to the new season, becoming a first-team regular for Arsenal and winning many plaudits for his stunning performances. However, it was whilst on international duty one night in September that produced the highlight of Theo's career so far as he became England's youngest ever hat-trick scorer, netting three times in the 4-1 victory over Croatia in Zagreb.

Unfortunately for England and Arsenal, Walcott's next call-up to the national squad resulted in the teenager suffering a dislocated shoulder during a routine training session. At first, the injury was reported as being so bad that it could blight the rest of his career, however, these reports appear to be wide of the mark, despite the acceptance that there is a weakness in that area of his body. Walcott had surgery to aid the recovery of his right shoulder as recently as last Thursday, confirmed by Arsene Wenger, and is expected to be out for at least another three months.

Wenger is a massive admirer of Walcott and believes there are no limitations to how he can progress as a footballer. Some credit for that must go to Wenger himself for giving Theo a gentle introduction into the world of top-flight football by using him sparingly in the two seasons that preceded this.

Now Walcott is bursting at the seams to play at every opportunity, and prior to his current injury, was doing just that under the fatherly guidance of the Arsenal manager. It was exactly the right thing to do and exactly the right time to do it. I have no doubt that if Walcott had of stayed injury free he would have been rested quite a lot as the season progressed. But whilst he was fresh, in great form, and desperate to play then Wenger was correct to play him regularly - and fully justified in doing so judging by Walcott's performances.

Assuming that Walcott comes back from his injury the same player, then the only question is how far can he go in the game? He has an abundance of raw pace and natural ability and I've seen a great improvement in his close control and passing. He is at a terrific club under the watchful eyes of one of the world's best managers for developing youngsters. It's almost impossible not to see Theo Walcott become one of England's best players during the next ten years and beyond.

His best position remains another discussion. I much prefer to see him out on the wing, terrorising full-backs and assisting his fellow strikers. When he plays as a striker himself he often drops deep or comes out wide to collect the ball anyway, so if this is the case then why not start him from one of these positions?

Walcott's only flaw is that sometimes he fails to release the ball when he should. Head down, with the ball at his feet dribbling at pace Theo is a terrific site, but he has to recognise that passing to a team-mate or getting the ball into the box sooner is sometimes a better option.

Arsenal's title hopes are all but gone. Defeats to Hull, Stoke, Aston Villa and Fulham are not what champions are made of, and their odds of [19.5] in the Premiership Winner market reflect the club's chances of winning the title - Chelsea can be backed at [2.28], Manchester United at [3.05] and Liverpool at [5.4].

With the returning Eduardo, Robin van Persie and Emannuel Adebayor fully fit, and Walcott hopefully back in the team, then come February/March time Arsenal could be of massive interest in the FA Cup. With Wenger desperate to win another trophy, and his dream of winning the Premiership and Champions League all but over by then, it could well be a case of an all-out assault on the world's most famous knock-out competition.

You can back Arsenal at [7.8] right now for FA Cup glory.

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