Monday 8 August 2016 08:33, UK
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says Theo Walcott's future is as a striker rather than a winger.
Walcott was left out of England's Euro 2016 squad by then-boss Roy Hodgson after a disappointing season.
He has spent most of his career as a winger, though he has been employed as a striker by Wenger, with varying degrees of success.
His performance as a striker in the 3-2 defeat at Manchester United in February was widely criticised.
But the Gunners boss says that Walcott's predatory instincts - plus the defensive burden that wingers now shoulder in the modern game - means his future lies up front.
"I believe that he has all the ingredients to be a great striker, because of the quality of his runs," Wenger said.
"He is an intelligent player, a good finisher. He is not a great defender so I believe that to use his runs in the final third for us could be very efficient. After that, I think scoring goals playing there, giving him confidence to play there, will slowly convince him maybe that he can be absolutely fantastic there.
"On the flank, today there is much defensive work asked from the players that you lose a lot of his qualities when you put him there. For me in my head I will use him more up front."
Wenger revealed Walcott was hopeful he would go to France with England this summer, and said that his poor performance at Old Trafford may have been the final straw for Hodgson.
"It was a big shock for Theo not to go to the Euros. Maybe he [Hodgson] felt in some games he didn't [do well]… especially in one game there was a question for him and that was the game at Man United where everyone questioned him in this position.
"I think on the day he didn't perform well, it was not only Theo Walcott who didn't have a great game, it was everybody. From then on, people became sceptical."
