Arsene Wenger has warned against expecting too much too soon of Theo Walcott – but would have no issues if the fit-again forward joined up with England for the November internationals.
Walcott came off the bench for the last 10 minutes of Arsenal’s 3-0 Premier League win over Burnley, and looked lively as he tested goalkeeper Tom Heaton with an angled drive after cutting in from the right.
It has been a long road back for the 25-year-old, who suffered what would prove to be a seriuos knee injury during the closing stages of the FA Cup tie against Tottenham in January, ruling him out of contention for the World Cup.
Walcott could be included by Roy Hodgson for the upcoming Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia at Wembley and friendly in Scotland, which Wenger feels would do the player’s reintegration a power of good.
“Hopefully Theo will come on and have no setbacks now, but we always have to be cautious. The battle is not won yet – at nine or 10 months out, you have ups or downs and I will have to manage that well,” said Wenger.
“If he wants to go (with England), I am happy for him to go and train, and maybe get a few minutes.
“I am happy for that because it will help his development. Is he completely ready? I think it is a bit early, but to be in the squad would be good for him.”
Wenger has yet to decide whether to give Walcott a start against Anderlecht in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
One player, though, set to be central to Arsenal once again will be Alexis Sanchez.
The Chile forward drew more plaudits after taking his tally to 10 with a double to finally break down Burnley’s stubborn resistance.
Sanchez had been denied by a string of fine saves from Heaton, before charging on to the end of a deep cross by full-back Calum Chambers to power a header into the bottom corner.
“He finds the resources to get you a goal when it is 0-0, that is what is important,” said Wenger.
“It is always very interesting when you look at the number of goals people score – how many times do they score at 0-0? They are the guys who can really make the decision.
“Alexis has already had a lot of decisive goals and he doesn’t score when it is 4-0, he scores when it is 0-0.”
Wenger feels there is plenty more to come from the former Barcelona forward.
“We are in a job where you can always improve,” he said.
“Sanchez is unbelievably keen to develop, work and train – he just loves football.”
Wenger, though, admits he will have to carefully temper Arsenal’s formidable attacking options.
“We have good pace – (Danny) Welbeck, Walcott and Alexis all have pace, but it is also about balance,” the Arsenal manager added.
“The difficulty for us might be there, to keep the balance offensively and defensively and put all the good players on the pitch.”
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Everton
Where: Old Trafford, Manchester
When: Sunday, kick-off 7pm (UAE)
How to watch: Live on BeIN Sports 11HD
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
MATCH INFO
FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea v Manchester United, Monday, 11.30pm (UAE), BeIN Sports
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
