Walcott has no ‘football brain’

CHRIS WADDLE has launched a withering attack on Theo Walcott, accusing the Arsenal winger of lacking a “football brain”.

Walcott, 20, disappointed again in England’s 3-1 victory over Egypt on Wednesday night, further diminishing his prospects of earning a place on the trip for the finals in South Africa this summer.

Waddle has serious concerns about Walcott’s development, and the 49-year-old former England winger, who won 62 caps and helped Bobby Robson’s team reach the 1990 World Cup semi-finals, criticised the young Gunner’s knowledge of how to fill a wide role.

“People keep saying he’s young but Wayne Rooney understood the game at 16, 17,” Waddle said.

“I’ve never seen any difference in Theo Walcott since he was at Southampton and broke into the team at a very young age.

“I’ve never seen him develop. He just doesn’t understand the game for me – where to be running, when to run inside a full-back, (when to) just play a one-two.”

Waddle told the BBC: “It’s all off the cuff. The ball comes to him and if he gets a good first touch he might be on his way if he shows pace. But he hasn’t a plan in his mind before the ball comes to him.

“People keep saying to me, ‘Oh he’s young and he’ll learn’. I keep thinking, ‘Fabregas has learnt and he’s young, Rooney has learnt... they all read the game so well’.

“I just don’t think he’s got a football brain and he’s going to have problems. Eventually he could play up front but would he know where to run? Let’s be honest, good defenders would catch him offside every time.

“I just don’t know whether he studies the game, learns the game, or what.

“He’s at a great club where they play fantastic football week-in, week-out, and I’m just surprised he’s never developed his game.”

Waddle was baffled as to why Fabio Capello picked Walcott against Egypt, citing his lack of action for Arsenal this season, and suggesting his hat-trick in World Cup qualifying against Croatia was a blip.

“I’m surprised Walcott was in the squad,” Waddle said.

“He doesn’t play a lot of football, he hasn’t done anything. he hasn’t done anything for a long time and I think Croatia was a one-off.’’

Waddle’s assessment was backed up by former England boss Graham Taylor, who said: “I’m not going to be in any disagreement at all. I haven’t seen the improvement of Theo Walcott in terms of what Chris is saying of reading the game. I just haven’t seen it. I just see a problem there.”