Arsenal ace Theo Walcott says he didn't deserve his place in England's 2006 World Cup squad.

Walcott is now established in the top flight and scored a memorable World Cup qualifying hat-trick in Croatia back in September 2008.

And he admitted: "It feels so much different to last time. I was the kid at the time and the baby face.

"I had not played in the Premier League and did not deserve to go to Germany, I knew that.

"I am now playing in the Premier League and the World Cup qualifiers and am doing quite well.

"I feel I am there by rights and, fingers crossed, I will be on that plane. There are a lot of world-class players on the right-hand side for England and it is a great competition to be a part of.

"I thought I played very well against Mexico and I was happy with my performance. If I'm happy, that is the most important thing.

"Now it is vital that I focus on the training camp in Austria leading up to the Japan game and not look too far ahead, as there is still a lot of work to do."