'Newcastle star reminds me of Gareth Bale - he'll be a future England captain'
Thomas Tuchel told Tino Livramento to use U21 Euros as a chance to work on his leadership as former team-mate Theo Walcott says he is convinced Newcastle full-back can reach very top
Theo Walcott is tipping Tino Livramento to be future England captain. Newcastle full-back Livramento, 22, was told by Thomas Tuchel he should use the U21 Euros as an attempt to work on his leadership.
And Walcott, who deliberately avoided Livramento in training when team-mates at Southampton, believes he has what it takes to lead the Three Lions once he comes out of his shell. Livramento had a starring role in the U21s' opening win over Czech Republic on Thursday night.
And Walcott says: 'He's kind of a right-footed Gareth Bale in stature and the way he runs, and I feel like he's the perfect wing-back.
'At no point in training did I think about going up against him. There's just no point. I'm a bit older and he's physically stronger. I was quick still but I thought, 'Why am I going to test myself against someone who is physically in a better position than me?'
'I did the same with Kyle Walker when I was playing. I'd go and use my skills somewhere else and that's the stature and how highly I rate him in one-v-one situations.
'Then the Newcastle factor and working with Eddie Howe, English, that whole community of English guys around him, I think that's part of why Thomas Tuchel feels it's important for him to be at this tournament.'
Eyebrows were raised when Tuchel did not select Livramento for the fixtures against Andorra and Senegal having handed him a first cap in March. But the manager has since cleared the omission up by saying an U21s swansong can teach Livramento how to shoulder additional responsibility. And from Walcott's experience at St Mary's he can work on becoming more vocal.
'He'd take on information and he's such a good listener,' he says. 'He's very quiet but he really listens well and I think it's hard to get that balance. He's a potential future captain because of his presence and how he is around the place.
'He's got the potential to be that leader and they just want more of that because they can see it in him, I could see it in him. But you need a little bit more out of him and this tournament can bring a side out of him that he's not used to.'
Walcott, working as a Channel 4 pundit for the U21 Euros, thought 'Livramento was going to be a very good Premier League player' the moment he locked eyes on him.
But it was the youngster's dedicated response to rupturing a cruciate ligament in April 2022 that left Walcott utterly convinced.
'I always feel injuries can make or break people, they really can,' he adds. 'His work ethic in that injury process was second to none, it was incredible. Someone could have sulked about things but he was the first one there and the last one to leave because he'd always want to put in more work.
'When you get an injury like that you can feel sorry for yourself but he actually thought, 'It's an opportunity to do other things and build on myself' and then he obviously got his move to Newcastle.'
Channel 4 are showing all of England's U21 Euros games, including Slovenia at 5pm tomorrow
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