Spartak Moscow goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa believes Arsenal whiz Theo Walcott is destined for greatness.

Pletikosa, beaten three times by Arsenal ace Walcott, backed the teenager's career to eclipse that of Gunners great Thierry Henry: "I would compare Walcott with Henry. Walcott is also very fast and has coolness in front of goal - and, like Henry, he shoots well and has also played as a winger. Henry is one of the top players in the world and we'll see if Walcott becomes better than him. He has the ability and has a bright future.

"Arsene Wenger will make sure he develops properly and raises his game level. I've played against many good strikers but Walcott is great - and he's only 19."

Pletikosa admitted he had no answer to Walcott's super show in Zagreb.

"All his goals were really terrific, especially the first two," Pletikosa said. "It was very hard for me to react for the first goal and I really had no chance to save the ball for the second and third goals.

"Walcott also had great positioning, which put pressure on our defence and that was also a big reason why he was hard to play."