22. Theo Walcott
Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has been a regular for England in the last few seasons, despite the grossly uninspiring Joe Cole, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips being preferred by Fabio Capello for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Walcott is now certainly considered a better option than either of those two, and is growing in productivity year on year, but the form of Spurs star Andros Townsend on the right certainly offers a new competition to the Arsenal man.
Whether as a starter or an impact substitute, Walcott’s preposterous speed gives his side a unique dimension. That utterly phenomenal pace forces teams to defend deeper, leading to gaps between the lines that other players can exploit.
Many goals scored by both Arsenal and England may not appear to have Walcott’s name on them, but the 24 year-old affects the play just by being on the pitch.
There are few players who intimidate opposition defences in quite such a way.
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