Walcott keen to continue fine form with England

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott is desperate for his current rich vein of form to continue on international duty with England.

The 27-year-old has struggled for regular match action for both club and country in recent years, featuring sparingly towards the end of Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions reign and missing Euro 2016.

However, in the early months of this season, Walcott has made Arsenal’s wide right berth his own, netting five times and earning an England recall.

Interim England manager Gareth Southgate has assured him of a starting role against Malta on Saturday – and the former Southampton man is keen to push on further.

“I don’t want this time to stop,” he told a news conference. “I have been working hard and I want to be better than the opposition.

“It is stuff people won’t see, but deep down you know you are ready for the match having trained well during the week.

“I want this form to continue and you have the support of the team-mates too.”

Having returned to the fold, Walcott is now hoping he and his team-mates can restore England fans’ pride in their team in the wake of Sam Allardyce’s shock exit after just 67 days in charge. 

“Having so much support at Wembley shows how much faith people have behind us,” he continued.

“We want to make people enjoy English football again and the Premier League is the best league in the world. 

“We want everyone to stand up and be involved in the game. When the fans are involved, that extra percentage helps.”