Walcott wants to follow Man Utd star’s example and be a dressing room leader

Wednesday, March 20, 2013
9:52 AM

Theo Walcott says he relishes his status as one of the more experienced players in the Arsenal dressing room and hopes to become a leader like Robin van Persie was during his time at the club.

Walcott has been with the Gunners since 2006 and despite his tender age of 24 he is already one of their longest serving players.

The England forward enjoys giving advice to Arsenal’s next wave of young stars and hopes to wield the same influence as former skipper Van Persie in the future.

“I’m always there for any of the guys,” said Walcott on Arsenal’s official website.

“I think at times they may look up to me, which is great but I’m just one of the guys as well.

“If someone gets injured, for example, I always like to have a chat with them, see how they are.

“But yes that’s the other side of the game I’m starting to learn as well.

“Robin [van Persie] used to give me a lot of advice when I was younger, and I’m not quite there yet, but I will be.”

Walcott has enjoyed his best season yet in an Arsenal shirt this term and is their top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions.

He is delighted with his contribution and admits he has exceeded his own expectations.

He said: “I wanted 20 goals in all competitions, so I may have to set another target!

“But I also wanted between 15 and 20 Premier League goals, and I’m on 11 at the moment.

“Assists are a bonus, but for a wide man, the number of goals I’ve got so far is definitely better than I would’ve thought.”