Roy Hodgson has told Theo Walcott he faces an “important few months” in which his ability to regain his place in Arsenal’s starting lineup will have a direct bearing on his prospects with England.
Walcott has endured a deeply frustrating time, having been out for 10 months with the cruciate knee ligament rupture that he suffered in January 2014 and then the best part of a further two months with a muscle injury. Since his return to fitness, the forward has started in only five matches in all competitions for his club.
Hodgson has retained faith in Walcott – he has named him in the England squad for the fixtures against Lithuania on Friday night and Italy next Tuesday – but, although he stopped short of saying the 26-year-old was at a crossroads in his career, he did suggest he faced a serious threat from emerging rivals.
“There’s always that risk,” Hodgson said. “That’s the thing about football, isn’t it? If you’re not careful, there’s always someone behind you waiting to take your place. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Every time, sometimes through no fault of your own, you can be injured. But then, suddenly, your position, which had looked very secure, suddenly six months down the line, is not so secure.
“Crossroads is probably quite a tough term. I don’t want to be quoted saying he’s at a crossroads. But it is an important few months for him. He’s got to satisfy a few of his critics and, if you like, make certain that a) he stays fit and b) gets his place back as one of the first names on the Arsenal team sheet. When he does that, he might be pushing to be a first name on the England team sheet.”
For Walcott there is the added complication of what threatens to become another contract saga. The £100,000-a-week deal that he signed in January 2013 will expire in June next year, meaning this summer stands to be an important time in the negotiations over fresh terms.
The Arsenal manager, Arsène Wenger, said two weeks ago – and with his tongue in his cheek – that “the first contacts have been established with the [Walcott] embassy. We will see how that progresses politically”. Walcott’s last contract was eventually agreed after months of back-and-forth talks. “He is very quick on the pitch but off the pitch, not always,” Wenger added.
Walcott, however, took to Twitter on Thursday morning to dispute the notion there had been any contact with his representatives over a new deal. He sent two tweets at 10.48am – 12 minutes before he took to the field to begin training with England. He also referred to “false stories” about a “bust-up” with Wenger, although it was unclear to what he was referring.
“I don’t normally comment on false stories about myself but reports about contract demands and bust-ups with the boss are complete nonsense,” Walcott wrote. “There have been no contract talks as yet and my current focus is not on contracts but on doing my best for Arsenal FC.”