Theo Walcott has admitted he “should never have gone” to the World Cup in 2006 when he was selected as a 17-year-old by then England head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson.
After bursting onto the scene with Southampton, Walcott had joined Arsenal that January but was untested at senior international level, playing for the Under 21s in May leading up to the tournament days before appearing in the first team.
