Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has put a host of Premier League clubs on red alert by admitting he may send Theo Walcott out on loan.England Under-21 forward Walcott joined the Gunners from Southampton in January 2006 in a deal that could cost up to £12million.

However, Wenger has used the 18-year-old sparingly, handing him just nine Premier League starts since his switch.

The Frenchman recently moved to play down reports that he was unhappy with Walcott's development.

But speculation suggests Wenger could be set to loan Walcott out to a Premier League rival, with the view to guaranteeing that he will play regular first-team football.

"There is a gap here between playing in the reserves and our first team," he told The Sun. "So I try to loan them to another club, to get them ready."

Wenger has previously loaned out the likes of Johan Djourou, Justin Hoyte and Nicklas Bendtner for lengthy loan spells before bringing them back to The Emirates.

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