Theo Walcott is in line to play his first match in more than nine months for the Arsenal Under-21s against Blackburn Rovers on Friday. The England winger returned to full training on Monday, having undergone surgery to treat the cruciate knee ligament he damaged against Tottenham Hotspur on 4 January and the final step of his rehabilitation now looms.

The last time Walcott, 25, was seen in Arsenal colours was when he was carried off on a stretcher in the FA Cup third round against Tottenham, making the 2-0 scoreline gesture with his hands., but he has been slated to play some part of the game against Blackburn.

Serge Gnabry, who also returned to full training on Monday after a long-term absence with knee trouble, could feature as well.

Walcott, who has always said that the ruptured cruciate would rule him out for a minimum of nine months, believes that he will return as a quicker player due to the strengthening work he has done during his lay-off. Walcott hopes to prove his fitness for Saturday’s Premier League visit of Hull City. After that, the club travel to Brussels to play Anderlecht in the Champions League next Wednesday.

Walcott’s comeback is a timely boost for Arsène Wenger as he contends with an injury crisis. Apart from Walcott and Serge Gnabry, the manager has nine first-team players who have fitness issues of varying severity.