Theo Walcott faces make or break season with Arsenal

With England taking on Croatia tonight, it's only natural for minds to turn to the last meeting of these two sides. In September last year Theo Walcott inspired the visitors to a remarkable 4-1 win at Croatia's Maksimir stadium, inflicting the home side's first defeat in 30 games and 14 years at their previously impregnable fortress.

Walcott's performance that night had everything - he scored a hat-trick on only his second competitive start, becoming the youngest player in England history to do so, and terrorised the Croatian defence, which had been the most parsimonious at Euro 2008 just three months earlier, with his raw pace and movement.

It looked like everything was coming together for the youngster, who had endured some testing times since Arsenal splashed out £5m (rising to £9m) back in January 2006, when Walcott was a callow 16-year-old at Southampton. At the time the teenager was being watched by some of the biggest clubs in Europe but opted for Arsenal as he saw that under Arsene Wenger it was the best club to further his career in the long term.

(Coincidently, this was the same reason given by Aaron Ramsey after he signed for the Gunners from Cardiff City for £4.8m in June 2008, when he too had the cream of the Premier League - including Manchester United and Everton chasing for his signature.)

When Walcott was subsequently picked by Sven Goran Eriksson to go to the 2006 World Cup in Germany with the England squad, despite not having made a Premier League start, many wise heads counselled against bringing him on too quickly. Indeed Eriksson failed to play the right winger in any games at the tournament, and the 'bold gamble' was dismissed as a pointless PR stunt.

The following two seasons saw Walcott begin to settle in at Arsenal, and he made 71 appearances over that time, often from the bench, notching up eight goals. His elevation to England's senior squad under Fabio Capello at the beginning of last season was testament to the progress Walcott had made - by that stage he was starting every Premier League game for Arsenal.

Some fans are beginning to ask whether Walcott has a long-term Arsenal future

But disaster struck in November 2008 when the winger dislocated his right shoulder ahead of an England friendly against Germany. Walcott spent four months out with that knock, then picked up another freak training injury just four games into his comeback - this time to his right knee. His latest setback came when he aggravated his back during a friendly against Valencia in August, which kept him out for the beginning of the Premier League season and England's World Cup qualifiers.

The question that some Arsenal fans are beginning to ask is whether Walcott has a long-term future at the club. Apart from apparently either being injury-prone or spectacularly unlucky, the 20-year-old doesn't seem to have ever fully gained the confidence of Arsene Wenger. Although Wenger has given substantial stints in the first team for young stars such as Cesc Fabregas in the past, blogger Ray Browne has identified a seeming reluctance for the Frenchman to trust Walcott.

"Wenger always talks about having to nurture his youngsters; a statement I have always found strange considering he wasn't afraid to throw Cesc in as a youngster, however 20-year-old Theo is still waiting to be given that regular run in the side," writes Browne on Football FanCast.com.

"The reason for it appears to be that he isn't ready to play the striking role, until he learns about the timing of runs and therefore he will benefit playing on the wing for now. That is all well and good, but what contribution does he give Arsenal on the wing, especially when you consider the qualities of his final ball?"

Indeed Wenger has in the past admitted that Walcott needs to develop more as a player, and while his injuries have hampered his progress, there is a suspicion among the Emirates faithful that the Frenchman, who now has myriad options on the right including Samir Nasri, Nicklas Bendtner and Ramsey, is running out of patience. The perception is that when he returns from injury after the international break, it could be make or break time for the England international.

"So," asks Browne, "what should Wenger do with Walcott? Would Arsenal benefit by sending him out on loan to a lesser Premier League club so he'll return confident and determined? Or has the time come to simply throw him in at the deep end and see if he will sink and swim at Arsenal?" ·