Ex-Arsenal star Theo Walcott recalls training ground incident that left Arsene Wenger 'afraid' of Mikel Arteta... as he claims the Spaniard was destined for management

Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta played together for Arsenal under Arsene WengerArteta retired from playing in 2016 and has been the Gunners manger since 2019LISTEN to It's All Kicking Off! EUROS DAILY: Should Jude Bellingham be dropped by Gareth Southgate? 

Theo Walcott was not surprised to see former Arsenal team-mate Mikel Arteta go into management.

Arteta - who has been the Gunners' manager since 2019 - previously served as the club's captain for the final two years of his playing career, from 2014 to 2016.

Walcott, who played alongside Arteta during this period, revealed in a recent interview on the Up Front with Simon Jordan podcast that the Spaniard was behaving like a manager long before he was one.

Recalling a story from when legendary manager Arsene Wenger was still in charge, Walcott told Jordan how Arteta once delayed a training session by locking his team-mates inside a dressing room.

Walcott claimed that Arteta was 'such a strong character that even Arsene was afraid of him'.

Mikel Arteta (left) was Arsenal's club captain under Arsene Wenger (right) from 2014 to 2016

Arteta pictured alongside Theo Walcott (left) in an Arsenal team photo from September 2011

Walcott told the Up Front with Simon Jordan podcast that Wenger used to be 'afraid' of Arteta

'The turning point for me in terms of how I viewed Mikel Arteta was an experience I had with him as a player at Arsenal,' said Walcott. 'It was at a time when we weren't making the top four.

'We had training in 30 minutes and he locked all the players in the dressing room, as if he was the manager.

'He was taking control of the whole space and telling us how it is. In that moment it was like he was the manager, and that was the turning point for me.

'That's when I thought he could go on to be a manager. Arsene Wenger was waiting for us to come outside for training but we weren't coming out because Mikel stopped the training session.

'He was such a strong character that even Arsene was afraid of him.'

Former midfielder Arteta played 150 games for Arsenal under Wenger between 2011 and 2016

Arteta has been the manager of Arsenal since 2019 and has led the team in 232 matches

Walcott said of former team-mate Arteta that he 'thought he could go on to be a manager'

In 397 appearances for Arsenal between 2006 and 2018, Walcott scored 108 Gunners goals

After ending his playing career in 2016, Arteta joined Manchester City's coaching team and served as Pep Guardiola's assistant until 2019 when he landed the top job at Arsenal.

He has since had five full seasons as Arsenal boss, guiding the club to eighth, eighth, fifth, second and second in the Premier League.

Arteta has also delivered one FA Cup triumph and two victories in the FA Community Shield.