Theo Walcott details why Sven Goran Eriksson was so special - 'Like Wenger' (original) (raw)

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Theo Walcott explains what made Sven Goran Eriksson so special - 'Like Arsene Wenger'

Theo Walcott holds eternal gratitude towards the former England manager for his shock 2006 World Cup inclusion - even though such a call-up will never happen again

Sven Goran Eriksson will be laid to rest today.

Teenage Theo Walcott was intimidated by Sven Goran Eriksson – but believes he would not have enjoyed such a prolific career without that shock 2006 World Cup call up.

Walcott thinks he should not have been part of the squad for the Swede’s final tournament in charge as an uncapped 17-year-old.

And while he did not get off the bench in Germany, the former Arsenal winger has always felt gratitude towards Eriksson - whose funeral takes place today - for putting him in an elite environment before he had really deserved it.

“I was quite intimidated, just 17 and still nervous around Arsene [Wenger] in the early stages,” he says. “But I do remember Sven saying to just express myself. It’s a shame I didn’t get on to play but I’m not sure it’s something that will happen again.

“I shouldn’t have gone but then again I step back and think I wouldn’t have become the man and player I was if I didn’t go. Things happen for a reason.”

Walcott was also quickly able to find similarities between Wenger and Eriksson, whom he first saw when the England boss was invited to watch the Gunners train a couple of months before his call-up.

“I didn’t talk much but I recall him coming to the training ground to visit Arsene and walking around the canteen and watching training. They were similar. I was learning, I didn’t know what to expect and I took every day as it was.

Sven Goran Eriksson called up Walcott for the 2006 World Cup in a shock decision.

“But he had a nice relationship with a lot of players, a lot of respect. It was my first time going into the men’s level and I was struck by the aura.

“Arsene had it but there was something different about Sven. It felt like he meant business but he was down to earth as well.”

Theo Walcott will make his Match of the Day debut as a pundit this weekend, offering professional analysis and insight on the Premier League. Walcott will also be a pundit for the BBC’s new MOTD Champions League programme.

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