Walcott is the O2 Arsenal.com Player of the Month hand017

Theo Walcott has been chosen by the fans as their O2 Arsenal.com Player of the Month for April.

The 19-year-old caught the eye throughout the month and is clearly making the transition from 'impact substitute' to effective starter. Walcott's pace has always been obvious; now his trickery, awareness and eye for goal have come to the fore.

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The England international got three full games under his belt in April, capping his appearance at Derby with a brilliantly-taken goal, and looked dangerous when he emerged from the bench in the two Champions League clashes with Liverpool. Walcott was inches away from scoring in the first leg and then produced the assist of the season in the second leg. The teenager collected the ball on the edge of his own box and sprinted 80 yards, leaving five defenders in his wake before setting up a tap-in for Emmanuel Adebayor. No wonder Walcott received more than half of the votes polled.

Adebayor racked up seven goals in six April games - including a hat-trick at Derby - but the Togolese was denied a place in the top three by Cesc Fabregas and Gael Clichy, both of whom received 12.1 per cent of the votes.

April Player of the Month Results Player %
Theo Walcott 53.7%
Cesc Fabregas 12.1%
Gael Clichy 12.1%
Others 22.1%

Competition winner Charlotte Rees from Exeter, Devon will present Theo with his award before Sunday's game against Everton. She has also won two tickets to watch the game.

"April was a terrible month for Arsenal but with one glimmer of hope - the coming of age of Theo Walcott and a glimpse of the raw talent this boy-turned-man possesses," said Charlotte. "He is starting to show the pace, skill and force that a certain Frenchman once had at the Arsenal."