Arsenal's exciting young winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is on course for place in England's Euro 2012 squad Wenger was quick to point out that comparisons with Walcott's selection for the 2006 World Cup were redundant in that Walcott had not even played a Premier League game when Sven-Goran Eriksson selected him. Should Chamberlain retain his place over the next few weeks then Capello might even select him in the squad for the friendly with Holland on Feb 29. With the last drops of Andrei Arshavin's confidence having evaporated, Chamberlain should get a decent run in the team, an opportunity to prove his capabilities before Gervinho returns from the Africa Cup of Nations to challenge him. There is no question that Chamberlain's development will be aided if Arsenal are playing confident football and winning. The news that Jack Wilshere has had an injury setback is an impediment to this but with Thomas Vermaelen expected back in the side this afternoon and Bacary Sagna, Thierry Henry and Mikel Arteta all having fitness tests ahead of the game, Wenger's side is getting its strength back. Wenger hopes that the presence of Henry around Arsenal's London Colney training base will be good for him. "Good examples help you in life and what you can say about Thierry is that he is a good one," Wenger said. I think Thierry understands quickly what is going on in the head of a young player so he can help him. He had the same situation himself. Thierry can give him good advice. It is what goes on in Chamberlain's head that makes him such a special player. He was small for his age in his early teens at Southampton's academy and had to learn how to outfox physically intimidating opponents. In fact, if not for a belated growth spurt, he might not have made it on the South Coast. "Even at Southampton they were not completely convinced until he was 16," Wenger explained. He was weak. But in a few months he developed a lot. I think he was always a player but too weak physically. I think sometimes it is a big advantage for a player to be weak as long as possible, as long as you can make it up after. "For an English national team player you have to be at the top level by 18," Wenger added. Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard - they all played at 18. One or two come in later but the basis of the national team are players who started at 18. The next three months will not just decide whether he gets a summer adventure in Poland and Ukraine - they will also determine the trajectory of his development. The early signs are promising.