Theo Walcott believes a victory in the FA Cup final against Hull next month could be the catalyst for a new era of trophy-winning success at Arsenal.
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caption: Theo Walcott hopes to fit for the early part of next season.
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Walcott is battling to be fit for the start of next season as he recovers from an ACL injury sustained in an FA Cup tie against Tottenham in January, but his optimism for Arsenal’s hopes of ending their nine-year wait for a trophy in his absence is burning brightly.
“If we win the FA Cup, which we have a great chance to do with the way we are playing, the players are going to want more trophies,” Walcott told the Arsenal website. "I think the first one is so important.
"Once you win that, you’ll win more and more. I’m pretty sure of that. It would be great for the boss to win a trophy again, too. He’s shown so much belief in us throughout the years.
"If we don’t play well, he always reflects it back on him, even though it’s our job to go out there each week and try to perform. That just shows how much faith he has in us all and it’s really important to him.
"The years just before I arrived here were unbelievable and he wants that again. I think next season will be a massive one for myself and the team.”
Walcott echoed the views of manager Wenger when he suggested injuries were the primary reason why Arsenal’s latest Premier League title challenge collapsed, as he suggests the story could have been different if fortune had favoured the Gunners.
"Losing Aaron [Ramsey], then Mesut [Ozil] and Jack [Wilshere], the boss admitted it was difficult for us to cope,” he added. “If you take three main players out of a team, it’s going to affect you.
"It was sad for everyone to get injured around the same time, but you deal with that as a squad. You want to try and keep your main players fit and sadly we couldn’t.”