Football FanCast columnist Rob Facey asks whether Theo Walcott has justified his place in the senior England squad, or should he continue to learn his trade in the Under-21s.

Arsene Wenger has warned Stuart Pearce about re-calling Theo Walcott back to the England Under-21s, suggesting that it would be a detriment to the player's progression.

It is understood that Pearce wants to use Walcott as much as possible as England prepare for the European Under-21 Championship play-off first leg against Wales next week.

"It's difficult for Theo to be completely focused on the Under-21s once he has gone into the senior team," said Wenger, as reported in the Sun. "All past cases I've seen haven't worked."

The tournament takes place in Sweden next summer and it is thought that Pearce is very keen to get Walcott involved, but has his hat-trick against Croatia last month cemented his place in the senior squad, or does he still need time to develop on the international scene?

Using Michael Owen as a case study, we can all remember where we were a decade ago when he burst into the England squad and the World Cup in France before scoring that wonder goal against Argentina.

Fast forward to the present and he is currently playing in a dismal Newcastle team looking a shadow of his former self.

Could there be such thing as player burnout and is Owen the best example of why Walcott should be slowly eased into things?

Wenger has slowly started using him more and more since his big money move from Southampton and the 19 year old is now becoming an important first team player at the Emirates.

The big thing to remember is that Wenger took his time and is possibly the best in the world at nurturing young talent.

So the question remains whether Pearce be trusted to do the same?

He never really convinced anyone after his spell at Man City and, despite working closely with Fabio Capello and the senior side question marks still remain over whether he is the best man for the Under 21 job.

Or, with no senior tournament scheduled for next summer, would the Under 21 European Championships be the perfect opportunity for Walcott to prove that he has what it takes to become one of Europe's most feared strikers?

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