Walcott back on the England beat
But is that the right move for Southgate?
A LoT has happened since Theo Walcott last pulled on an England shirt. That was back in November 2016 when the winger won his 47th cap replacing injured Adam Lallana in a 2-2 friendly draw against Spain. Back then, caretaker manager Gareth Southgate was still on probation. It was in March 2017 that Southgate, keen to look forward not back, told Walcott on his 28th birthday that despite scoring 17 goals in 29 Arsenal appearances, he was dropped. Fast-forward 18 months and another Walcott purple patch has sparked chatter of an England return ahead of next month’s international double-header. He was excellent in Everton’s 2-2 draw at Bournemouth on Saturday, giving them a secondhalf lead when down to 10 men, making the dart that led to Adam Smith’s dismissal and playing a hand in Michael Keane’s second. ‘Yes, obviously you always want to play for your country. I’ve got 47 caps and I want that to be a lot more. So I’ll continue to play well and we’ll see where that takes me,’ said Walcott, who was England’s future once. But is going back to the future bad for the future? There is little logic in restoring a 29-year-old even if he has started the season well with two goals. Now is the time for England to unleash a new generation. Phil Foden, Ryan Sessegnon and Jadon Sancho should all take places in the squad instead, while the likes of James Maddison, Joe Gomez and Callum Wilson should be considered after their own fine starts to the campaign. Unfortunately for Everton it was the impetuousness of youth that cost them here. Brazilian Richarlison, 21, reacted angrily to something Smith said to him and his headbutt earned a straight red card on 41 minutes. His moment of madness ignited a contest that saw Walcott and Keane put Everton in control before late goals from Joshua King and Nathan Ake preserved Bournemouth’s unbeaten start. ‘He is a boy, he has to learn,’ was Everton boss Marco Silva’s message to Richarlison. ‘It was a tough moment for him and for us, but he has to learn fast.’ Everton have played with 10 men for over 100 minutes in their first three games, but Silva noted they have scored three in that time. Bournemouth, meanwhile, have earned 25 Premier League points from losing positions since the start of last season — more than any other side. But while Eddie Howe admires their resilience, he’d naturally prefer they didn’t fall behind in the first place. ‘When we go behind I hope we keep coming back but we would love to be a little more ruthless when we are 0-0,’ he said.