Southampton: Saints release first pictures of Theo Walcott in training

Southampton have released the first pictures of loan signing Theo Walcott in training after his return to the club last week.

Saints secured a deal to bring in the 31-year-old until the end of the 2020/21 season on transfer deadline day and the former England international will hope to be involved as soon as possible.

Now fans have got their first glimpse of the Saints academy graduate preparing with his new teammates at the club’s Staplewood training ground via official social media.

Walcott has just 102 minutes of first-team action under his belt this campaign from two separate appearances for Everton but will take up a creative role in the Saints squad.

With Stuart Armstrong forced to self-isolate until Friday after a positive Coronavirus test, there is a good chance that Walcott will play a part when Saints take on Chelsea on Saturday.

Armstrong will continue to be a key player for Saints this season and put in a performance that contributed hugely to the 2-0 win over West Brom last

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time out.

Moussa Djenepo and Nathan Redmond also challenge as options for the two attacking-midfield roles in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s team, whilst Walcott comes in to replace Sofiane Boufal after the Moroccan’s permanent departure to Angers in France.

Competition is tough at the moment but Walcott will surely be hungry to prove that Saints made the right choice when bringing him in.

Proving his worth will mean that he has to improve his number of goal contributions per game.

He made 85 appearances for Everton – which included 54 starts – but only weighed in with 11 goals and nine goal assists during his time at Goodison Park.

It is important to recognise that he will be playing a style of football that could suit him much more at Saints though.

He started at Everton under Sam Allardyce and then Marco Silva – both of who use a style based on defensive solidity.

Ralph Hasenhuttl allows his players to play on the front foot though and the fast-paced, pressing football at St Mary’s could be what Walcott needs to end his career on a high.