Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger tells 28-year-old Theo Walcott 'his time will come' at the Emirates

Jessica Morgan26 October 2017

Arsene Wenger has assured Arsenal forward Theo Walcott that his time will come to win back a Premier League starting role.

The French coach commented on the fate of his 28-year-old forward after Arsenal veteran Ian Wright called for Walcott to quit the club to salvage his career.

But the Arsenal boss has urged the England international to stay put despite a lack of game time as the 2018 World Cup approaches.

"I do not want Theo to move on," Wenger told reporters at Thursday's pre-match press conference. "His time in the Premier League will come.

"At the moment he has got less minutes in the Premier League than other competitions."

Walcott is yet to feature for the Gunners in the Premier League this season after falling behind Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil, Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi in the pecking order for a spot in Wenger’s 3-4-2-1 system.

The pacy forward is the longest-serving player in the current squad and has made more first-team appearances than anyone else.

In 2006, he became England’s youngest-ever senior player, making his debut at 17 against Hungary.

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He hopes to be drafted for the England squad, who will be jetting off to the World Cup in Russia next summer.

Walcott told Standard Sport his experience could prove vital for the tournament and is working hard to regain his starting place at Arsenal.

"I need to be playing football, simple as that," he said. "But I need to deserve to be playing.

"So in this [Europa League] competition, cup games, Premier League when given the chance, I need to take it.

"This is the only chance I have to get back into the England squad."