THEO Walcott and Peter Crouch could be sensationally reunited with England in the World Cup - 11 months after beginning 2005/06 in the same Saints team playing pre-season friendlies in Scotland!

Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson remarkably named the 17-year-old Walcott in his 23-man squad yesterday for next month's festival of football in Germany.

With Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney injured, only Walcott and his former Saints colleague Peter Crouch are fit strikers.

Amazingly, Walcott was picked without Eriksson having ever seen him play and with only 1,134 minutes of Championship action behind him.

Walcott is still waiting for his Arsenal debut following his move to Highbury in January.

He has only played three Premiership reserve league south games - a total of 197 minutes - and appeared in two more reserve friendlies against Reading and Brighton.

But even if he becomes the youngest ever England international in the next few weeks, Saints won't benefit financially - yet.

Arsenal made a £5m downpayment on Walcott with £5m based on club appearances and a further £2m if and when he makes his 20th England competitive start.

And with Wayne Rooney in a six-week race to recover from a fractured metatarsal and doubts still surrounding the fitness of strike partner Michael Owen, Walcott is likely to feature.

Indeed, he could partner Crouch, with whom he figured in two Saints friendlies in July of last year against Motherwell and Kilmarnock after Harry Redknapp took him on the pre-season tour of Scotland after he had only been full-time with the club's academy for a fortnight.

Boosting the Saints connection to three, Eriksson also named Winchester-born Wayne Bridge in his squad.

Walcott is almost certain to break Rooney's record, meanwhile, as the youngest ever England senior international.

If he features in the next friendly against Hungary at Old Trafford on May 30 he will only be 17 years and 75 days old.

Rooney was 17 years and 111 days old when he made his debut against Australia in February 2003.

Walcott, though, could make his senior debut after only 23 professional games - 13 Championship starts for Saints, plus another eight as a sub, and two sub appearances in the Carling and FA Cups.

In contrast, Rooney had played 25 professional games - 22 in the Premiership - before beating Michael Owen's post-war record of 18 years and 59 days in 1998 as the youngest-ever England debutant.

In recent years Walcott has established the record as Saints' youngest ever reserve player - he was 15 years and 175 days old when he played against Watford in September 2004 - and youngest ever senior debutant, at 16 years and 143 days when he came on as a sub against Wolves on the opening day of this season.