by Lewis Ambrose

Speaking to The Telegraph while on international duty, Theo Walcott has said that his 14 month old son is his biggest inspiration.

A burst of form saw Walcott end the season with two starts and four goals. A hat-trick against West Brom earned him the nod ahead of Olivier Giroud for the FA Cup Final, where he gave Arsenal the lead.

It’s been a long way back from injury but, despite limited opportunities, Walcott managed a goal every 115 minutes in the 2014/15 season.

His seven Arsenal goals this campaign came in just as many starts.

Father

Do we have his son, Finley, to thank?

“I’m going into game thinking a bit differently.

“As in, ‘I’m going to do it for you.’

“I’ve never had that before. Obviously I’ve always wanted to do it for the fans and family – but when there’s a part of you there, it’s different.

“You just don’t want to let your little dude down.”

And he hasn’t.

In fact, Walcott has made up for lost time.

During Theo’s injury last year Finley underwent emergency surgery at just eight weeks old, meaning the Arsenal and England forward missed the FA Cup Final success.

It was clear at Wembley this time around that Walcott had something extra. He didn’t want to miss out on the celebrations again, and he made sure that he didn’t.

Future

Showing interviewer Jason Burt a video on his phone, it seems that Walcott’s ability is in the genes.

Burt says that Finley Walcott, just 14 months old, can volley a ball like his dad did to give Arsenal the lead in the recent FA Cup Final.

“I’ve shown (Arsène Wenger),” said Walcott.

“He said, ‘Who’s his agent?'”

Maybe Theo isn’t the last Walcott we’ll see in an Arsenal shirt.