Theo Walcott has been warned he
may not be in Arsenal's starting XI this weekend despite his
England hat-trick heroics.
Walcott hit the headlines with his stunning display in Wednesday
night's international as the Three Lions thrashed Croatia 4-1 in
Zagreb.
But Arsene Wenger has refused to guarantee the talented teenager
a spot in his team for the Premier League trip to Blackburn on
Saturday.
Walcott started the Gunners' first four games of the season, but
was on the bench for the 3-0 home triumph against Newcastle in the
final fixture before the international break.
Having been preferred to David Beckham on England's right flank
by Fabio Capello for the victories over Andorra and Croatia, Wenger
has hinted Walcott may be rested.
Wenger said: "Will Walcott play? I don't know. I will have to
rotate the squad now.
"You can't expect the players who have played for their national
teams to play three times in a week. We have a very compact squad
and people are interchangeable.
"I believe he is hungry and he is intelligent. You can be very
optimistic. I don't set any limitations on how far he can go as a
player.
"However, when I arrived in England 11 years ago there were
fantastic strikers like Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen and their
careers have certainly been damaged by injuries.
"You always need protection from bad tackles. You never get
easier treatment when you're dangerous."
