Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has praised the work ethic of Everton loanee Theo Walcott after scoring for the Saints last night.
The 31-year-old, who graduated from the Saints’ academy, got on the scoresheet for his former club again for the first time since 2006 in Monday night’s 1-1 draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Having fallen down the pecking order at Goodison Park, the Toffees sanctioned a season-long loan move to the south coast for Walcott as he entered the final 12 months of his Everton contract. This was likely in a bid to clear some of his £100,000-a-week wages off the Toffees’ wage bill, with reports indicating that Everton and Southampton opted for a 50-50 split in the cost of Walcott’s wages.
Walcott offered a glimpse of what he can offer to Southampton after he got on the end of a Che Adams cross in the 58th minute at Molineux. Unfortunately for the Saints, that was not enough to seal all three points as Wolves’ Pedro Neto scored the equaliser to ensure parity at the final whistle.
Hasenhuttl, Walcott’s manager at St Mary’s, praised the 31-year-old for his exemplary work ethic, saying: “I’m happy to work with Theo, he definitely showed it means something to him to play for this club. You can feel how much he invests working for the team.”
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Any good form from Walcott is a blow for a man out of contract in the summer, with the sanctioning of a loan move in spite of his contract situation effectively signalling that the Toffees will sanction his departure.
Whilst it makes short-term financial sense, Walcott is unlikely to be seen in an Everton shirt again.
