Walcott itching to face Swedes

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As an established member of Fabio Capello's seniors, Walcott seemed guaranteed a starting place for Stuart Pearce's youngsters but was taken off after 45 minutes of their tournament opener, then was on the bench for an hour of the victory against Spain.

"Against Spain, I took it out on the pitch and let my feet do the talking," he said. "People probably saw me around and about and I wasn't too happy obviously because I came here to play."

He added: "If you are not disappointed there is something wrong, you're just here for the social.

"You've got to be angry coming on the pitch. You don't want to be too angry and get sent off but hopefully I'll be at it on Friday."

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was strongly opposed to his player travelling straight after a World Cup double-header, then the 20-year-old found himself in the cold despite pushing for his own inclusion.

"That was one of the messages I did get across," Walcott said. "I just wanted to be shown a little bit of support for being here.

"But it was the manager's decision and it worked out to be the right one because we won the game in the end."

It is hardly the attitude expected of player with a reputation of being too nice for his own good. On the other hand, Walcott put himself in contention despite fears of burnout ahead of next year's World Cup finals in South Africa.

"I had four months out injured last season, so it hasn't really affected me," he added. "The boss will know when I'm tired and I'm not. On the pitch you don't think about it."