THEO Walcott may be rested for Arsenal's game against Blackburn despite his heroics for England in mid-week.

The 19-year-old scored a superlative hat-trick against Croatia before being substituted late on for David Beckham, but Wenger insists he would be wrong to push the youngster to play a third game in a week.

"Will Walcott play? I don't know. I will have to rotate the squad now," said the Gunners manager. "You can't expect the players who have played for their national teams to play three times in a week.

"We have a very compact squad and people are interchangeable."

Wenger admitted he was not surprised by Walcott's magnificent display but insists he has not set the player any goals and is keen for him to develop within the close-knit Gunners squad.

"I believe he is hungry and he is intelligent. You can be very optimistic.

"I don't set any limitations on how far he can go as a player. He needs time to develop as a team player."