At the age of 17, Theo Walcott hadn’t played in the Premier League yet was on his way to a World Cup finals.

A surprise choice, the teenager didn’t get on the pitch despite injuries to Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.

“That was definitely a different experience from now because it was so daunting,” Walcott has admitted in an interview with Standard Sport.

“I was thrown into the limelight straight away having not even played a Premier League game and suddenly you are surrounded by these top-quality players and you are thinking, ‘Do I deserve to be here?’

“I just had to deal with it. I’ve had a lot of experience since then and earned quite a few caps. Being around top players helps you learn but it was too early in my career. You can’t change the past and I just want to look forward to the Euros now.”

Nine years, two World Cups and two European Championships later, Theo Walcott still hasn’t started a game for England at a major tournament. With injuries to Roy Hodgson’s frontline, Walcott could stake a claim for a starting role on Friday night.

England host Estonia at Wembley before travelling to Lithuania, and only Walcott and Tottenham striker Harry Kane are fit. With four goals and three assists in the last five weeks alone, Walcott is the form man. Hopefully he is given the shirt and can show Hodgson why, finally, he has to be starting games for England next summer.