Walcott proves U17 potential

If the players at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship think making it to one of the senior major tournaments is still years off, perhaps they should reconsider. For 12 months after representing England U17s in Italy, Theo Walcott is off to the FIFA World Cup.

Heady season
It has been a heady 12 months for the forward ever since impressing last May in Tuscany with his pace and skill even though England exited at the group stage. Last autumn he made his breakthrough at Southampton FC, scoring a series of spectacular goals for the second division team before a January move to Arsenal FC which could end up being worth more than €15m. Although Walcott is yet to make his Premiership debut, Sven-Göran Eriksson decided to draft in the 17-year-old, who has only won one U19 cap - the same as Wayne Rooney before the Swede called on the striker within months of him starring at the 2002 U17 Championship.

Peacock spot
But one man who always knew Walcott had the talent is England U17 coach John Peacock, who made the youngster a vital part of his squad last season even though he was a year younger than most of his team-mates and opponents. "He is a talent," Peacock told uefa.com. "He was played a year early last season. We always knew there was evident potential there. People speak about his pace, but he has also got a very level head on his shoulders. I think the pressure of something like the World Cup he will handle very well. He has a very cool temperament, he is very single-minded and he knows where he wants to go in his career."

Early promotion
Peacock, whose team is unusually absent from the U17 finals which he has been following on Eurosport, spotted Walcott early. "I saw him when he was 14 at Southampton. He played a year young for our U16 side and we felt he was ready for the step up to U17 football. He handled that sort of environment without a problem." Not every player at an U17 Championship is, of course, immediately ready to step into a senior international team, but Walcott is well suited. "It can come a bit soon, there are many things to take into consideration - technical ability, tactical consideration - but temperament plays a massive part. Theo is a level-headed young man with very good support behind him. He'll take the media attention and accolades and get on with the job of becoming a better footballer."

Eriksson gamble
Eriksson consulted Peacock about the Walcott decision via England's head of national teams Ray Clemence. "Sven said it is a bit of a gamble, but he thinks it is worth taking," Peacock said. "He's been fast-tracked, there is no doubt about that, because people can see his potential and the experience of the World Cup will stand him in good stead. He's in as a squad player but who knows what will happen." The stars of the 2006 U17 finals, whether Manuel Fischer, Bojan Krkić or Vladimir Koman, may not be playing senior international football next year or even by the 2010 World Cup, but as Walcott comes to terms with spending his summer in Germany, anything is possible.