Theo Walcott's 10 years with Arsenal: A trial in resilience

Ten years ago today, pacey forward Theo Walcott joined Arsenal as a 16-year-old rife with promise.

Ten years on, a career abundant with potential has failed to fulfill its capacity, as injuries have slowed the progress of England's youngest ever capped international.

Don't bother telling Walcott that; there's no chance he'll take notice.

2006-08

Signed from budding south coast talent incubator Southampton in 2006, Walcott's first few years with the club were an exercise in gradual introduction. His first professional contract was signed on his 17th birthday in March 2006, and the purveyor of pace didn't take long to prove his worth with the Islington side.

2006-07 was his first foray in first-team football, with his first goal for the club coming in a controversial 2-1 League Cup final defeat to Chelsea.

Fast forward a few months, and the 2007-08 campaign kicked-off with Walcott finding both his niche and a consistent place in manager Arsene Wenger's side. A 2-0 victory over Reading was Walcott's coming out party, where his performance was heaped with praise by fans and pundits alike, but most notably by the gaffer.

"Before he was always a bit out of the physical contact side of the game, now he looks for it. I told him he had to be more aggressive and determined. He is that now," Wenger told the club's website in April 2008.

"I feel next season began on Saturday for him. I don't know yet if I will start with him for the rest of the season, but there is a good chance yes."

2008-09

Now a veritable first-team selection, the 2008-09 season began with Walcott being the recipient of the famed No. 14 kit worn by club legend and all-time leading scorer Thierry Henry. Just as quickly as it started, injuries came calling, and Walcott suffered a dislocated shoulder in training with England in November, sidelining the winger until April of the following year.

Despite missing 18 matches because of the ailment, Walcott made 33 appearances in all competitions for the club, scoring upon his return against Wigan Athletic before cheekily chipping the 'keeper in a decisive second-leg Champions League victory over Villarreal on April 9.

Just as soon as he had recovered from the shoulder dislocation, helping the club reach the semi-finals of both the Champions League and FA Cup, the 2009-10 season was a test in patience for the young attacker.

2009-10

Because of a series of knee, back, shoulder, and hamstring ailments, Walcott made only 15 starts for the Gunners and did not play the full 90 minutes until Dec. 9. A season plagued by hours spent on the treatment table culminated in a first-leg Champions League goal in a 2-2 draw with an ever-potent Barcelona, prompting his inclusion in the starting 11 for the remainder of the season.

2010-11

Battered and bruised, Walcott shook off the rust to enjoy a fortuitous 2010-11 campaign. A sprained ankle forced the London-born attacker to miss seven matches, but again, Walcott overcame that to score nine league goals paired with seven assists for third-place Arsenal.

The nine goals and 13 in all competitions were a personal record for the budding superstar.

2011-12

The 42-time capped international used 2010-11 season as a springboard for a a healthy 2011-12 campaign in which Walcott paired eight goals with eight assists, including a gem of a finish in August against Udinese in the Champions League.

The goal against the Italians exhibited his pace on the flanks, only to be outdone by an effort two months later, where Walcott's resilience embodied his spirit as a player in a 5-3 victory over hated rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge: knock him down, but fear the moment he rebounds to put one past the 'keeper.

2012-13

The 2012-13 season was a forgettable campaign for Arsenal, again finishing fourth, failing to progress beyond the quarterfinals of the two domestic cups and Champions League. It was not as futile for player as it was for club, as Walcott set personal highs of 14 league goals and 10 assists in 32 Premier League matches, including a finish against Newcastle that may be the merchant of blinding momentum's best ever goal.

Again, knock him down, but at a peril that is ripe to handle the consequences. The individual bludgeoning of the Magpies was Walcott's finest moment to date, as the winger scored three times and chipped in with two assists in a 7-3 battering.

Walcott was now seemingly at the height of his powers, and other marquee sides came calling as Gooners nervously hoped their young speed demon would stay put. Those fears were assuaged when Walcott signed a three-and-a-half-year extension with the club in Dec. 2013.

2013-14

As was becoming the trend, a healthy season was followed by one cut short by injuries, and Walcott picked up an abdominal concern in August before tearing his cruciate ligament in a 2-0 FA Cup victory over hated rivals Tottenham.

Walcott was stretchered off the pitch, paraded in front of a section of Spurs supporters who were less than pleased that the longtime Gunner was in their midst. They threw coins; he reminded them what the score was. Now a club legend in the eyes of fans, Walcott would spend the next six months recuperating from yet another in a long line of ailments.

2014-15

Back in the fold after a 10-month absence, Walcott bagged five league goals in 14 league appearances. He also opened the scoring in the club's one-sided 4-0 FA Cup victory over Aston Villa to give the Gunners their second trophy on the trot.

It was very much a season on the mend for Walcott.

2015-16

This would be Arsenal's year. Supporters gathered on Holloway Road making their way to the Emirates will anxiously say as much. Despite a rash of injuries, including a calf strain that saw Walcott miss six matches, the Gunners sit top by the narrowest of margins.

Constantly belittled for failing to win the big matches against the big sides, Walcott's laser in a 2-1 victory over main title challengers Manchester City gave Arsenal the impetus to take itself seriously.

To date, Walcott has appeared in 16 of Arsenal's 22 league matches this year.

Arsenal hasn't won the league since 2003-04, and it's hard to imagine that there's a player on the side who would look better hoisting the trophy mid-May than Walcott, both for supporters who have grown to love the affable attacker and for the player himself. There exists few things in football that are a better validation of one's efforts than a league title.

A disciple to Wenger and a servant to the club, Walcott has proven to be a resilient fellow, getting up each time he's knocked down, refuting doubts from supporters and pundits alike along the way.

When considering if Walcott has lived up to expectations or not, it's essential to consider what expectations can fairly be placed upon a 16-year-old. Ten years on and 53 goals in 219 appearances for the club, Walcott's tenure with the club has been as much about expectations as it is about the resilience of one man to repeatedly overcome the hindrance of injury.

For that, Theo Walcott is undeniably an Arsenal legend.