John Giles believes Theo Walcott has "grown up" as the winger shows signs of making more of an impact at Arsenal.
Walcott has been at the club for a decade and has been inconsistent in terms of his end product and performances.
But he now has four goals in last three games, including a double in a 2-0 win over FC Basel in the Champions League.
If he can harness that, the England international can become a big asset for an Arsenal side showing good signs again.
"Walcott would be huge for them if he plays now on a regular basis the way he's played in the last couple of matches," John told Off The Ball.
"What I see of him, he's grown up. I know he's 27 now but he's grown up. Anytime I've seen him over the years, he looked like a 15-year-old boy with talent playing among men. He hasn't been a warrior by any means."
John feels the chat Walcott had with manager Arsene Wenger has reaped dividends in terms of the player's performance.
"He must have said to him 'you've got to go, work hard, be a competitor' and it's the first time in the last couple of matches that I've seen that from Walcott. There's no doubt he has the talent. He always did and showed it on occasions. But he hasn't been a fighter, he hasn't been a goer. But the last couple of matches, he's got back, he's got tackles in and that's the way he should have been for the last 10 years. But it's never too late so if he continues to do that, then he'll be a real asset to Arsenal."
John added that he has seen a more aggressive and work-man like Walcott also believes that if other players follow his example, Arsenal could push on and do enough to win the league.
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