Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has warned Theo Walcott to focus all his energy on the Gunners hunt for silverware this season as opposed to his World Cup ambitions with England.

Walcott, 20, is ready to make his return to the Gunners first-team in Tuesday night's Group H clash at home to Belgium champions Standard Liege after a month on the treatment table.

However, Wenger is becoming increasingly concerned that going into a World Cup year, his players, including Walcott, are being distracted by their respective national sides as opposed to focusing on their bread and butter so to speak.

Walcott was a second half substitute during Arsenal's 1-0 defeat away to Sunderland on Saturday and after missing England's friendly with Brazil will be keen to showcase his talents in front of Three Lions coach Fabio Capello.

At the press conference before the game, when asked to reflect on Walcott's prospects of making Capello's 23-man squad for South Africa, the 60-year-old Frenchman responded angrily.

"For me the big season is with Arsenal, not at the World Cup," he retorted.

"We do not pay players to go to the World Cup. We pay them to do well for Arsenal. The first pride of a man is to do well for the guy who pays you in life."

"Why should I not be frustrated? The guy asks me if it's an important season because Theo is going to the World Cup.

"The World Cup is in June. Is he on holiday until 9 June? He's paid by Arsenal every week to perform, and well paid.

"The reality in life is: 'Do your job, my friend. And make sure that no one can ever say you're not committed every day to what you are paid for.' I don't have to tell Theo that," he stressed.

The former Monaco coach was also keen to point out that a good season domestically is likely to lead to a good World Cup campaign and pointed to some notable examples as evidence.

"Listen, a guy who has a poor season has a poor World Cup. It's as mathematical as that," he emphasised.

"A guy who wins with his club goes to the World Cup and has a good chance to win it, because [opposing] players are not afraid of you if you do nothing all season.

"The experience I have of working with players who won the World Cup is with [Patrick] Vieira and [Emmanuel] Petit. They won the title, they won the FA Cup, then they went to the World Cup in 1998 and they won it, too."