Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has openly spoken about the injury sustained to forward Theo Walcott for the first time today, and the Frenchman believes the 24-year-old will be back better than ever next season.
Ligament damage in his knee has left Walcott sidelined for up to six months, which will see him miss the rest of this season and also the Summer’s World Cup in Brazil.
The injury was sustained at the weekend during their 2-0 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, and talking ahead of their Monday night clash with Aston Villa, Wenger believes the Englishman will return better than ever.
“Theo is handling it as well as you can when you have had such a shock because he’s mentally strong, he’s very balanced as a person and he can put it into perspective,” the boss told Arsenal Player.
“We know that he will have the dedication and the serious attitude to come back as strong as ever.”
“We lost a very talented player, a very intelligent player and a player who was just grabbing his form again,” he said. “From game to game he became more influential, you’ve seen a complete player.
“He can always decide a game through a final ball or through a goal. Sometimes in the same game he does both. I felt against Tottenham he had a very convincing performance because he integrates well our style of play as he’s been here for so many years now.
“When we combine at a high pace he’s involved in it because he understands exactly what we want to do.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
