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Walcott may be left out

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.

Rotate

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."

Henry

With Walcott now wearing the No.14 shirt previously held by Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, there have been inevitable comparisons drawn between the duo.

And while Wenger believes the former Southampton player has the potential to one day emulate the France international, he knows there is currently a gulf between the duo.

He added: "At the start of the season Theo had made a step forward and you could see that in training.

"The potential is there, but do not make him Thierry Henry before he is Thierry Henry.

"One game is one game, a career is something different, it is consistency. I am convinced it is in him but give him time."

my point is all wenger has done since walcott scored a hatrick is critisise.

first he said that he dosnt think he'll score a hatrick again and now hes saying he wont start in the arsenal 11

perhaps walcotts from the wrong nation