Redknapp Report: Theo Walcott was a kid but he had Michael Owen magic

When Theo Walcott first came into the Southampton dressing room, he reminded me of a very young Michael Owen.

You could see that he was destined for stardom; he was a nice lad, well spoken, down to earth and a family boy.

He's not flash or cocky - he's had a good grounding. His dad, Don, had a big influence on him. Harry Redknapp told me: 'There is a kid you have got to see.'

Theo Walcott enjoyed a famous night in Zagreb with a glorious hat-trick for England

Dad only gets that excited about the very best young talents, such as Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand.

Then I saw Theo in training. He looked like a lad who could run through puddles without making a splash.

Theo came into the players lounge after a game and wanted autographs and pictures with all the first-team players, now to be seeing him playing for England is tremendous.

And it's making me feel old! He started nervously here. What do we expect? He was the youngest player on the pitch - just 19 - and this was a big game for a lad.

How many times does Arsene Wenger trust him in this kind of match?

His confidence grew as the half went on, especially after the first goal. Running can be a chore for some players - Theo loves it. He can run all day. He's got a lean top half, an athlete's torso but strong, long powerful legs, like Thierry Henry.

Wenger is a great spotter of young talent, from across Europe, and that is what he saw in the young man from the South Coast. It was a positive message from manager Fabio Capello to start with Theo and Emile Heskey - it sent out the word before kick off that England were going into Croatia's Zagreb fortress to attack.

UP AND AWAY

I didn’t see any stars, I saw a team - players working for each other, closing down the opposition, not afraid to put in their shift.  

The team pushed up, played high up the pitch and trusted each other. There was no space for Croatia’s danger men to play.  

The visitors delivered the best half of football I have seen from England for a long time in the first half and then made it count against ten men. Playing away from Wembley obviously suits them. 

There was nothing wrong with Capello pointing out that England are happier away from home. It will be the case until we rebuild our shattered confidence. Winning will do that.

We need to build on this result now. Let’s not stand back and admire the performance and the result.

England won 5-1 in Munich and we’ve been talking about it ever since. Now there is another night to remember.

HESKEY THE HAMMER

Emile Heskey was superb for England in their thumping win against Croatia

Emile Heskey was a nuisance, a menace and there is nothing wrong with going long when confidence is fragile as it was at the start.  

Heskey can make a bad pass a good pass, because he will work into the channels and run across the line.

Sometimes England try to pass through teams but Heskey’s presence meant they could go over the top as well.  

He loves the hard graft, he kept their back players occupied and there was no time or space for them to take it down.

His white shirt was hanging out and looking ragged and muddy at times, but it was the sign of his work rate.  

Heskey played in the 5-1 win in Munich and the 3-0 win against Russia, now the 4-1 win in Zagreb.

He takes the pressure off the team, occupies the centre backs and allows others the space to play. We need to keep him fit. 

At times it was a very English way of playing, but there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when confidence is fragile.

We’d love to play with Spain’s technique and flair, but we are what we are. And these players might get a different response at Wembley next month.

CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

When England lost at home to Croatia, this was the goalkeeper and the back four: Carson; Richards, Campbell, Lescott, Bridge.

Last night, England’s starting team had seven players who played in the European Cup final, including all four of the defence with the FA Cup winning goalkeeper behind them. It tells a story.

ROONEY'S RESPONSE

Wayne Rooney

Look again at England’s second goal. Wayne Rooney started it and than ran cross the defence into space, the move involved Frank Lampard and Heskey, before Rooney came back into the move.

Then he squared to Walcott, who took a touch and drilled a shot across the goalkeeper. 

It came from the confidence that followed the first goal.  Wayne thrived in the space, playing in his best position, setting up two goals and scoring himself.

In the second half, he played with a control, he looked relaxed. There was a calm about him. He was easy, smooth, he was popping the ball around as if it was a training session.

He doesn't have to play angry to be at his best. I hope he watches a video of this, because the touch and pass for Theo's hat-trick goal...well, he's the only player in the country who can do that.

He also scores his goals in bunches. That's not good news for Liverpool on Saturday.