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‘Theo will come back as strong as ever’

Theo Walcott

Arsene Wenger believes Theo Walcott’s mental strength and dedication mean he will “come back as strong as ever”.

The Arsenal forward ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament of his left knee in Saturday’s FA Cup third-round victory against Tottenham Hotspur.

While Wenger is disappointed to lose the 24-year-old for the rest of the season, he is confident he will make a full recovery.

"We know that he will have the dedication and the serious attitude to come back as strong as ever"

Arsene Wenger

“Theo is handling it as well as you can when you have had such a shock because he's mentally strong, he's very balanced as a person and he can put it into perspective,” the boss told Arsenal Player.

“We know that he will have the dedication and the serious attitude to come back as strong as ever.”

Wenger felt Walcott was getting back to his very best at the time of his injury.

“We lost a very talented player, a very intelligent player and a player who was just grabbing his form again,” he said. “From game to game he became more influential, you've seen a complete player.

“He can always decide a game through a final ball or through a goal. Sometimes in the same game he does both. I felt against Tottenham he had a very convincing performance because he integrates well our style of play as he's been here for so many years now.

“When we combine at a high pace he's involved in it because he understands exactly what we want to do.”

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