• Premier League

Workaholic Sanchez sets the standard at Arsenal

Arsenal midfielder Theo Walcott believes £35 million summer signing Alexis Sanchez has inspired those around him to raise their standards this season.

Sanchez has been the shining star of Arsenal's campaign following his high-profile move from Barcelona last summer, and his work-rate has earned him comparisons to a Duracell battery.

"You see somebody working so hard and it makes you want to try to back him up," stated Walcott. "When you see what he does off the pitch, behind the scenes at the training ground, and how much work he puts in, all the players just stand up and think 'Yeah, I need to a bit more as well then'.

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"It's about getting that balance right. We told him during the Christmas period to relax a little bit, but he still cracked on with his gym work! He's that sort of person - nothing will make him tired. It's healthy to see, because the Premier League is very fast, but he's coped with it fine.

"He is amazing because he spots things that a lot of players won't. I tend to make my runs off the ball and he is always looking for that. He drags more players on to him, which creates more space for other people and I do the same thing.

"It is a great balance and once I am fully fit, I think it is going to be some force for the Premier League to handle."

Walcott is not only impressed by Sanchez's work-rate, though. "Danny [Welbeck] is a workaholic as well - he runs around and really works for the team," he added.

Sanchez's presence in the Arsenal attacking line this season alongside strikers Welbeck, Olivier Giroud and a host of forward thinking midfielders has led some to suggest this is the most potent, creative side Arsene Wenger has assembled. Walcott, though, suggests trophy success is the only way to back up that theory.

"When I came, it was [Robert] Pires and [Freddie] Ljungberg, [Dennis] Bergkamp, [Thierry] Thierry and [Jose Antonio] Reyes," he recalls. "That's some attacking force as well. I think this squad probably does beat it, but we need to prove it first.

"Now you have the likes of Aaron [Ramsey] and Jack [Wilshere] in midfield. The list goes on, that's how good we are going forward. It is a headache for the manager when you have that many great attacking options.

"Go and achieve a little bit more than winning the FA Cup and then I think we can stand up and say this is the best attacking line up we've ever had."

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