Wanderers may face Theo pace threat

10:42am Thursday 23rd November 2006

ARSENAL wonder boy, Theo Walcott, could be unleashed on Wanderers on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger was so impressed wth the 17-year-old's impact as a late substitute in Tuesday night's Champions League victory over SV Hamburg at the Emirates Stadium that he is ready to give him more first team action.

And, although the Gunners boss knows the Reebok fixture is one they cannot afford to lose if they are not to be cast adrift in the title race, he believes the teen starlet he signed from Southampton last season in a staggering £12 million deal, has shown he has the temperament as well as the talent to deal with the pressures of the Premiership.

Walcott, who has made only one league start this season, helped rescue Arsenal from Euro misery with his 15-minute cameo appearance against Hamburg.

Confident and effective, he had a hand in the two goals in the last seven minutes - the first from Emmanuel Eboue and the second from fellow substitute, Julio Baptista - that secured a win that was far less comfortable than the 3-1 scoreline suggested.

Wenger, who saw Robin van Persie cancel out Rafel van der Vaart's stunning early strike, was growing increasingly anxious as the game appeared to be heading for a 1-1 draw.

But, after seeing Walcott's impressive impact leave Arsenal needing just a point from their final qualifying game in Porto in a fortnight, the Arsenal boss paid tribute to his team's battling characteristics and, in particular, Walcott's emergence as a star in the making.

He said: "We will give Theo more games now, because there are so many of them coming up.

"When he came on he provided power and pace - especially when he switched from the left to the right. And it helped us master Hamburg physically."

Arsenal, who go into Saturday fourth in the table but already 12 points behind Manchester United in the race for the Premiership title, were far from convincing against the Germans and looked suspect defensively when they conceded the early goal.

But Wenger, heartened by the spirited performance, added: "This should convince our players they can come back from behind and win.

"They just refused to accept defeat and never felt sorry for themselves after hitting the bar and post after losing a goal."