ES Views Letter of the Day: Southgate wrong to ignore Walcott

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Proven talent: Theo Walcott celebrates scoring for Arsenal v Lincoln in the FA Cup
20 March 2017
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I know Gareth Southgate is trying to create his own legacy at England and start anew after the Euro 2016 disappointment. However, omitting Arsenal forward Theo Walcott from his squad for the games against Lithuania and Germany was baffling.

Walcott is still only 28 and has truly entered his prime. He scored in the FA Cup against Sutton and Lincoln and even netted against Bayern Munich in the Champions League to take his tally to 17

goals this season.

The strikers included in the squad are hardly firing on all cylinders: Jamie Vardy has 10 goals, Marcus Rashford seven and Jermain Defoe, who deserved his call-up, has 14. Walcott is one of the more in-form English players right now and to be overlooked can only be seen as a blunder by Southgate.

One can forgive errors such as this when playing in experimental friendlies. But when it comes to qualification, Southgate must include players with experience like Walcott.
Arthur Hobbs

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