Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has told Theo Walcott he can be a big success with the London giants - but still has some growing up to do.

Keown told The Sun: "There's no doubt that Theo is better off at Arsenal. The best place for him is under Arsene Wenger's wing.

"Arsene has a great record of bringing young talent through and I'm certain that will be the case with Theo. I remember when he joined the club, I was still playing and he was terrific in training.

"He's got everything you need to be a top-class player - speed, agility, and skill. I just think that he needs to grow up and learn the game though. Sometimes he tries to run at people too fast and loses the ball when really he needs to slow down and take a better option.

"But that will only come with experience. Last season, he showed signs of what he can do but then he picked up a bad shoulder injury.

"And he hasn't quite hit the heights we expected of him this season. People have high expectations but he just needs to be patient because given time he will be a top-class player for Arsenal."