ARSENAL winger Theo Walcott should be left on the bench for England's match against Kazakhstan this weekend, according to former Tottenham wide man Chris Waddle.
The ex-England winger has urged Fabio Capello to drop the Gunners' youngster in favour of the in-form Shaun Wright-Phillips, who has rediscovered his best form since returning to Manchester City from Chelsea.
Waddle insisted Walcott will be 'found out' if he fails to add another dimension to his game, other than his electric pace.
“Although his acceleration is an obvious gift, maybe it's covering cracks in his game which he will need to fix in time,” Waddle said in the Daily Mail.
“Walcott will quickly discover that international football is not as simple as the domestic game - you can't just rely on your pace.
“Against Croatia Fabio Capello correctly predicted that the opposition full backs would be told to push forward - allowing Walcott to take full advantage.
“This is also the first year in which people have been able to see enough of the Arsenal youngster in order to take note of his style and the way he likes to play.
“Next season, he simply won't be a surprise to the opposition. Coaches will have much more of an idea of how to stop him from causing damage.
“And that's when he will have to add an extra level to his game, or else people will work him out and everyone will suddenly start asking: 'Where does he go from here?'”
Walcott appears the favourite to land the right midfield role for Saturday's home game with Kazakhstan after his scintillating hat-trick against Croatia last month, but Waddle would plump for Wright-Phillips.
“Everybody has been talking about Robinho, but Wright-Phillips has been the best player by far in a Manchester City shirt since his return to the club,” continued Waddle.
“He seems to be loving his football at the moment, his delivery is good, he looks like he's going to score and his confidence and energy are there for all to see. He's back to his old self, as he was before his wasted two years at Chelsea, nice as his pay packet must have been.
“I would definitely start him in the next two games.
“I know it sounds surprising after Walcott's hat-trick in Zagreb, but, if there is room for only one of them, I hope Capello leaves the Arsenal youngster on the bench.”
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