Has Theo Walcott’s moment finally arrived?

Theo Walcott's topsy-turvey summer took a turn for the better on Saturday as he notched his first ever hat-trick at club level to help Arsenal to a convincing win over Blackpool and serve notice that he might, finally, be ready to fulfill his potential with Gunners and England.

Since his memorable treble against Croatia two years ago things have not gone according to plan for the 21-year-old.

He was expected to blossom into an attacking force that would terrify defenders up and down the land and become one of England's most potent weapons at the World Cup.

That of course has not happened, and  the fortunes of England's diminutive winger have taken a markedly different bent. Hampered by injury, Walcott's club career with Arsenal remained firmly in the blocks – so much so, that when Fabio Capello chose his final World Cup squad, the 21-year-old failed to make the cut.

But after a summer spent watching England under-achieve in South Africa Walcott is back, in good shape and scoring goals. He also appears to be intent on setting the record straight after some savage criticism from the likes of Chris Waddle - who said he did not understand the game - last season.

And on Saturday, Walcott put in a display against Blackpool that suggested he could yet be the future of Arsenal and England. Indeed, his manager Arsene Wenger was moved to suggest that the winger could end up as an out-and-out centre forward, a switch of position that was successfully managed by the previous owner of the number 14 shirt - Thierry Henry.

Ironically Fabio Capello's decision to exclude Walcott from a draining summer World Cup could have been a blessing in disguise.

"I had a nice little break mentally through the summer so I could think about things and it's just about pushing on now," said Walcott after the game on Saturday.

The snubbing seems to have fired up Walcott to push as hard as he can to better himself as a player.

"I'm pretty much one of the last to leave training now. I stay behind to practise crosses and set pieces and stuff like that. It's down to me. I just want to show people what I can do."

Some people might take a while to come round to believing Theo has what it takes. Alan Hansen, speaking on Match of the Day on Saturday night, decided that the moment was right to jump onto the bandwagon set in motion by Waddle to criticise Walcott for a perceived lack of football intelligence.

But Arsene Wenger, who was initially critical of the decision to leave Walcott out of the World Cup squad, disagrees, perhaps unsurprisingly.

"You always worry about a player's development, but I was always positive about Theo because I have looked at his disappointments, and how well he analyses things. When you are intelligent, you always improve. He's not there yet but he is developing, maybe what happened to him is part of his development.

"I believe he can score goals because when he was young he scored goals, and I am convinced he will finish in the middle. He times his runs well, once he is a yard clear nobody in the world can catch him, and now he is more composed in front of goal." ·