Arsene Wenger has confirmed Theo
Walcott will undergo shoulder surgery soon, but expects the Arsenal
youngster to come back and fulfil his promise.
Walcott's season will be ended when he goes under the knife in a
bid to cure a long-standing problem with his left shoulder.
The England starlet was originally pencilled in for surgery
following the Carling Cup final, but the operation was delayed
following his impressive display and injury to Abou Diaby against
Chelsea.
However, Walcott has opted for surgery now rather than waiting and
Wenger does not expect it to hamper the youngster's promising
progress.
"I think we did not see enough of Theo because of his shoulder,"
said Wenger. "He was very, very promising before his shoulder
injury.
"Sometimes it pops out now in training. Now, he wants to get it
done.
"I feel he will be a great player, and you have seen glimpses of
him - but first he needs to get his shoulder right."
The surgery means Walcott will miss the Wembley curtain-raiser
between England's Under 21s and their Italian counterparts on 24th
March.
"I gave him a choice," Wenger added. "He said: 'I want to do it as
quickly as possible'."
Walcott has revealed he has had shoulder troubles since joining The
Gunners, and it has been gradually getting worse.
"It is my left shoulder, and I have had the problem since I joined,
it was from my Southampton days," he said.
"I have been playing with it and it has been fine, but it has been
getting worse the last couple of months.
"I think the best thing for me in the long run is to have the
operation."
