Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has branded Theo Walcott an "almost man".

Ferdinand feels Walcott never quite matches expectations, despite his current form.

He wrote for the London Evening Standard: "Theo Walcott has been in good form of late but I don't think anyone should be getting too excited just yet. As far as I'm concerned, Theo is like an 'almost' man. He almost does it, he almost gets there.

"Every season he will have a few great moments and start scoring goals, like he is now, and you start to think: 'Ah, that's why there was so much of a buzz about him'. But then he goes off the boil again or gets injured. It's this inability to perform at the same level every week that is the main issue with him. He has never found it for some reason.

"Theo is at an age now when you shouldn't be speculating about how good he could be, he should be peaking now. Whenever I watch Theo, I think this guy should always be a threat because of his pace and that's the frustrating thing. His 'on' button is not switched on for long enough."