Arsenal captain Robin van Persie has hailed the service coming from Theo Walcott. Walcott has gone through a lean spell of form but was back with a bang as he provided three assists in the thumping win over Blackburn.

But Van Persie said: "I honestly love him. I don't understand the ­criticism.

"He was sharp against ­Blackburn, he was playing fantastically and, like anyone, he misses chances. But I miss chances. Ronaldo does, Messi does. It's life.

"Sometimes I feel that people are a bit harsh on him. I don't know why. If you look at his assists rate then it is unbelievable. And he will score. Trust me, he will score. He will get 20 goals at least every season. You will see. He will, have faith in him.

"He has given me so many assists. And for me, if you give an assist then it is worth a goal, especially if you give a great assist. It is as important as scoring a goal.

"He gave me two simple tap-ins. That makes it more his goal than my goal and he has given me many assists."