Arsenal forward Theo Walcott has come out in support of fellow teammate Mesut Özil ahead of their Premier League clash against leaders Manchester United on Sunday 4 October.
Walcott believes that he has what it takes to unlock Özil’s special talents and that he has been trying to develop the understanding they have.
“He can do it anywhere on the pitch, he’s a threat from anywhere and when you’ve got that in your dressing room you can build on it,” Walcott told the official Arsenal website.
“I know what he’s going to do now when he’s got the ball, I just need to keep making those runs and hopefully we can get that relationship going.”
Former Manchester United defender and football pundit Rio Ferdinand recently stated that Özil had an incredible assist record at Real Madrid because he had forwards who understood him and made dangerous forward runs like Cristiano Ronaldo.
“I think when Özil plays when he plays with Giroud I don’t see that combination working. Özil needs people to run look at him at Real Madrid he had Ronaldo and people who would run and he created the most chances in Europe for three or four years,” Ferdinand said speaking on BT Sport after the game.
Ferdinand also revealed that he does not believe Olivier Giroud is the right player to get the best out of Özil and that Theo Walcott would be a better choice.
“He needs people running off him like Theo,” he added.
Özil has three assists in all competitions this season but has created the highest number of chances in the Premier League this season (29).
The World Cup winner is expected to start for the Gunners against United at the Emirates tomorrow.
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