Wayne Rooney has claimed that Manchester City have a current player who might be faster than Theo Walcott.
When Walcott broke into the Arsenal first-team as a teenager, what took the world by storm was his remarkable pace.
The retired forward would wreak havoc every time he had the chance to burst past a defender with space in behind to run into.
Rooney says Man City player might be faster than Walcott
In a footrace, it was a rarity that the Englishman would finish second best.
The now-pundit has an argument for being the fastest player England has ever produced.
But when quizzed about the fastest player he has ever played with, Wayne Rooney mentioned both Theo Walcott and Kyle Walker.
Speaking to The Overlap, Rooney said: “Probably Theo [Walcott].”
Wayne Rooney gave the edge to Kyle Walker over Theo Walcott in one respect: “Or Kyle Walker. One of them two. I think Kyle’s more powerful. And he’s still doing it, still not lost it.”
In November 2022, Raheem Sterling told LADBible TV that his former Manchester City teammate was the fastest player English player of all time; claiming, he was quicker than Theo Walcott.
Even if Wayne Rooney finds it hard to split Kyle Walker and Theo Walcott, he claimed the former is more “powerful”, which can be interpreted in several ways.
One way of looking at Rooney’s claim is that Walker is perhaps a more powerful runner than Walcott — possibly over long distances.
But then the newly-appointed Plymouth Argyle boss could also feel that the £50 million man is stronger than the ex-Gunners goalscorer — making him more difficult to compete in a footrace with.
At least in a footballing context, including running over long distances and going shoulder-to-shoulder with an opponent, Wayne Rooney seems to side with Kyle Walker over Theo Walcott in terms of quickness.
As Rooney claimed, Walker remains an incredibly quick player, as exemplified by his battle with Rashford in the FA Cup final.