Walcott tips Miyaichi for regular spot

Arsenal winger Ryo Miyaichi will be a regular for the Gunners in the Premier League next season, according to Theo Walcott.

Miyaichi, 19, is currently on loan at Bolton where he has enjoyed a successful spell and Walcott believes that is a sign of his development which should see him become a regular at Arsenal next season.

“Ryo has done very well at Bolton,” Walcott said.

Walcott added: “The way he is playing, there are full-backs out there now who are thinking, ‘I don’t want to play against him this week’.”

Miyaichi, who made two cameos off the bench for Arsenal before joining Bolton in January, has since made eight appearances for the Trotters, providing two assists and scoring one goal.

Walcott added that he had been impressed by the way Miyaichi handled the recent episode which saw his Bolton team-mate Fabrice Muamba collapse on the field after suffering a cardiac arrest.

“It is hard for such a young kid to go there and do what he is doing, showing no fear with everything that happened at Tottenham (with Muamba). It is hard and it has probably hit him definitely,” he said.

“He will be a better person for it, a better player and I can see him coming back here next year and playing a lot more regularly.”