Source: Eurosport
Pearce: Walcott should grab every England chance
England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce has dismissed fears of Theo Walcott suffering burnout ahead of next year's World Cup and urged the Arsenal youngster to grab every opportunity to play for his country.
Walcott, 20, has established himself in Fabio Capello's seniors but will also play for Pearce's side in the European Under-21 Championships in Sweden, with the opening clash on Monday against Finland.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is strongly opposed to Walcott playing for both teams but Walcott himself wants to travel after missing the 2007 tournament through injury. Walcott insists he feels fresh after missing four months of the season with a dislocated shoulder - an injury he picked up while on international duty.
"The one thing I would say from my experience as a player, you never know when that injury is going to come," Pearce said. "You never know when you are going to be out for six months, a year or however long.
"If I was giving advice to any player, I would say play as many matches as you can and if you are selected for your national team play as many matches as you can.
"I did. I'm speaking from experience, not speaking as someone who picked and chose my games. You turn up whether you are injured or not. It's a great honour to play for your country because you bet your bottom dollar that when you are 35 or 40 you cannot do it any more. Coupled with the fact that he missed four months of the season through injury and missed the last tournament through injury as well, I think we had a valid case."
