Theo Walcott has revealed that he’s learnt a lot of his game from Arsenal legend, Ian Wright.

It’s no secret that the two Englishman have a pretty close relationship off the pitch. Not only have they been on golfing dates but both have spoken out about their admiration for the other publicly.

Wright is probably Theo’s biggest fan and is probably one of the few people on this planet that truly believes the winger can play up front.

Theo, on the other hand, has a huge amount of respect for the former Gunner, and has recently spoken about trying to emulate Wright’s success and style on the pitch.

“I loved him [along with] everything about his style of football because he always played smiling,” Walcott said. “He obviously scored so many goals and caused havoc for defenders.

“He wasn’t the tallest man in the world but the amount of pressure he would put on defenders just scared them.

“[I can learn from] the runs he made, the pace he had in his game and his finishing. When he was in the box he didn’t panic.”

The 26-year-old continued, “That’s something that I have been learning, that when you’re in the box you have a lot more time than you think.

“He made it look very easy. That’s something that I’m taking out of his game and I’m starting to learn.”

The 185 goals which Wright scored for Arsenal is a huge target for Theo, who has only scored 78.

“He’s obviously scored so many goals for the club and they’re all so different as well,” Walcott said. “He scored all sorts of goals and that’s what you want from a striker, to be able to score any goal.

“He could just change a game just like that and that’s the sign of a special player.

“He is one of those who is in the history books and he is definitely a cult hero. I have seen him so many times and played golf with him quite a few times so he is just a great man to be around.”

After Theo’s injury record, it’s hardly surprising that he’s not quite hitting the numbers he wants. The forward is only 26 and if he chooses to spend the rest of his career in north London and gets past his injury woes, he has every chance of surpassing his hero’s record.