Walcott: I Tackled Wenger

The prodigious young forward has featured irregularly for The Gunners since his arrival from Southampton in January 2006, when he became the most expensive 16-year-old in English football.

Walcott became one of the most hyped young players in Europe when was selected in Sven Goran Eriksson’s England squad for the 2006 World Cup, despite having never played a single Premier League game.

And having since failed to nail down a starting spot for the North London club, many have written off Walcott as a flop in the making.

Such criticism seems unfair given his youth and the fact he has been deployed largely on the wing when used at all, and Walcott revealed he confronted his boss about the limited opportunities he has been given.

"Sometimes, it's been frustrating," admitted Walcott.

"There are times when I haven't deserved to play because I wasn't playing well enough but there have been times when I have been playing well and not been involved and that struck me a bit.

"So I actually went up to him for the first time and asked him what I had to do to start.

"I initiated the conversation and walked over to him on the training ground. It was a difficult thing to do. I was nervous. But I'm glad I did it.

"And he was fine. In fact, I think he thought it was really big of me to go to a top manager when I was 18 and ask what I had to do to improve."

Since then Walcott has hardly cemented himself as a first-team regular, but he has certainly shone when called upon and put in some very promising displays, such as in yesterday’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool where he proved constant source of bother to the Merseysiders’ defense.

And though the Englishman feels privileged to be at Arsenal at all, he is determined to take the next step towards regular football.

"Not many 19-year-old players are doing what I'm doing.

"And it's an honour even to sit on the Arsenal substitutes bench. And when I come on, I like to think it lifts the team and lifts the supporters.

"But now I want to push on. I want to be starting and starting regularly."