Theo Walcott Begins Rehabilitation.

The brace on Theo Walcott's left foot had been removed so he has started learning to walk again without crutches. He has resumed driving too.

The England international who underwent a surgery after injuring his cruciate ligament in an FA Cup tie against Tottenham in January is disappointed he will be out of the 2014 World Cup but is happy he will soon have a child. The injury initially looked minor but scans after 48 hours showed it was a terrible one which required an operation.

In his first public interview since the news he was not going to Brazil broke out, he made us know he still has a long way to go in his recovery process. He had started rehabilitation programme which sees him visit the club everyday of the week except Sundays.

“The last two days have been good days, getting out of the brace and off the crutches,” Theo said.

“I have been able to walk a bit easier. It has taken me a while to get the walking right, but it is nearly there.

“At the moment, I am taking it week by week and trying to hit targets. I can’t do much yet. I just walk in the swimming pool, getting the extension right. Extension in this injury is very important. Otherwise, I am trying to build muscle and become an absolute tank.

“I managed to drive on Thursday. I’m a terrible back seat driver. I’ve had my wife Mel and my dad take me into training. They are probably pleased to get rid of me from their cars. Because it’s my left knee, I am OK to drive an automatic now.”

In the first six weeks of his injury Walcott found it a burden to sleep due to the fact that the brace was still on his foot. He learned to caution himself from going to the fridge and his wife Mel had been helping him in this regards.

“It is tempting to eat chocolate bars or whatever, but I’m very disciplined,” Walcott said. “Mel won’t let me, either. She controls the fridge.

“When I was well enough to come out of hospital, I wanted to be in at the club straight away. I came in the afternoons for a few hours to build it up slowly and saw a few of the lads. Now I’m in every day in the mornings and I’m the last to go.”

The former Southampton winger believe his soon-to-be-born baby will be a consolation to his World Cup absence. His wife will put to bed around May and he is so delighted he would be around to witness that.

“The baby is one of the things that keeps me going,” said Walcott.

“It’s a great experience. It will be amazing for me, my family and Mel and her family. In some way it’s a silver lining I suppose. Maybe it was destined to happen.

“I could, potentially, have missed the birth if I had gone to the World Cup and you would not be able to get back those days. A lot of footballers miss out on it, so it’s the one thing that will keep me going. I won’t miss it.

Walcott also declared he is not in a hurry to get back and as such had rejected proposals which claimed he could still appear at the World Cup if he desires. The player is not ready to take any risks.

“I know it’s going to make me into a better person and a stronger person. I don’t want to look at six months’ time, I want to look at 10-15 years and still be playing. I don’t want to be pushing the injury and not be 100 per cent and cause other injuries.

“I was never tempted by any of the offers from people saying they could get me fit for the World Cup. I followed the club advice. I went to a consultant, Andy Williams, in London and it was a great decision.

Theo Walcott should be ready to start next season at Arsenal if everything goes as planned.