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Walcott on his rehab and signing Alexis

Theo Walcott “cannot wait” to play alongside Alexis Sanchez when he returns to full fitness.

The England international ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Arsenal’s FA Cup third-round victory against Tottenham in January.

After a summer spent working hard at the training ground, Walcott is pleased with his progress and is especially looking forward to linking up with the club’s new signing.

“Sanchez is a world-class player and I enjoyed watching him play for Barcelona and for Chile at the World Cup,” he told Arsenal Player.

"He is a marquee signing and something that the club has pushed on to: first you had Mesut Ozil and now it is Alexis Sanchez. Who knows where it is going to stop?"

Theo Walcott

“He’s still very young as well and he is going to show so much pace and power, which we lacked a bit last year. With me and him on the flanks, a lot of teams won’t be looking forward to playing Arsenal this year!

“There’s a great buzz around the club at the moment. He is a marquee signing and something that the club has pushed on to: first you had Mesut Ozil and now it is Alexis Sanchez. Who knows where it is going to stop?

“It is great to learn from these players, and I cannot wait to play alongside him. I am really looking forward to it.”

Walcott does not want to name a date for his return, but is confident he will be able to hit the ground running after his comeback.

“The knee is going really well, I am doing some good stuff with the physios and fitness coaches and we have worked really hard throughout the summer,” he said. “Things are looking really good and I have worked very hard for the last five months now.

“The most important thing is getting the strength back and it has pretty much nearly healed - it is just about building up that stability and strength again. It is coming along nicely and I am really pleased.”

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