Eriksson: I haven’t seen Walcott play!!
Sven-Goran Eriksson admits he may have made the biggest gamble of his entire football career by taking teenager Theo Walcott to the World Cup.
Eriksson has never seen Arsenal’s young striker play a game - except on videotape - and has barely spoken a word to him.
Walcott, 17, has not even made his debut for the Gunners and has never played a Premiership game.
But Eriksson is ready to make him England’s youngest international footballer because is convinced he can handle the pressure and terrify defenders with his pace.
Eriksson said: ’Maybe it is my biggest, bravest, boldest gamble. It is a bit of a gamble.
’If you take a 17-year-old boy to the World Cup of course you cannot be sure.
’The feeling is that he is ready for it. I don’t think he will be nervous or feel the pressure.
’We have spoken to a lot of people who have had him before. I think he can cope with it, handle it.’
Walcott will be the second youngest player in World Cup history if he gets on the pitch in Germany.
Norman Whiteside played for Northern Ireland in Spain 1982, aged 17 years and 41 days.
Walcott cannot beat Whiteside’s record but he can beat Pele, who played in Sweden in 1958 at 17 years and 236 days.
Eriksson’s chief scout Tord Grip went to watch Walcott play for Arsenal reserves in an unofficial match today.
He played 90 minutes for an Arsenal under-21 team against an Irish under-21 team. The Gunners won 2-1 but he did not score.
The England boss has only seen him at work in a couple of training sessions but, with Wayne Rooney facing a fight to be fit, decided it was worth a punt on Walcott’s electric pace and raw talent.
Eriksson said: ’I have seen him on videos a lot but never in the flesh. Tord went to see him today playing for the reserves.
’I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago. I said hello after a training session.’
Eriksson had to rely on a glowing reference from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, who bought Walcott from Southampton in January in a deal which could rise to £12million.
Wenger insisted the youngster has the right temperament.
Eriksson said: ’I have not been able to go and see him playing in the Premiership so, of course, I spoke a lot to Arsene Wenger about it.
’In this case, what Arsene Wenger said was more important than with all the other players.’
Eriksson admitted he did not make a final decision on Walcott until just hours before he unveiled his 23-man squad in London today.
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