Retired Arsenal star makes promise to viewers as he replaces Jermaine Jenas on BBC programme

The ex-winger, who played for Southampton, Arsenal and Everton, is now joining the BBC’s Match of the Day line-up. It comes just weeks after former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas was sacked for alleged inappropriate conduct towards another colleague.

Walcott, who earned 47 caps for England during his career, was first called up when he was just 16-years-old, joining the late Sven-Goran Eriksson’s side at the World Cup that year.

The 35-year-old will join the Match of the Day line-up on Saturday (September 14) and is also playing a part in the BBC’s new Champions League programme, which kicks off next week. But Walcott has also made a promise to viewers about what they can expect from him on the sofa.

He said: “I will always like to bring a positive outlook and the insights of how I as a player would have responded in that way when a certain situation happens. I would really look at it in depth, the fact that it could be simple, like body position, or shirt pulling, something that could have just really disrupted a certain situation happening.

“I have said Arsenal will win the league – and they are going to have to be exceptional to win the league. The way Manchester City have started, they have just wiped people to the floor and they have the fear factor now that when they walk on the field.

“I would, though, be worried as a league that we don’t want it to be a one-horse race – we have got to be wary of Liverpool as well of course, they have started exceptionally well.”