THEO WALCOTT is eligible to play in the Premiership from tomorrow - but Harry Redknapp will not hand the winger his first team debut this season.

Newbury schoolboy Walcott is rated by many scouts as the best player of his age in Europe and he celebrates his 16th birthday tomorrow.

That makes him eligible to play in the top flight but Saints boss Redknapp is not prepared to risk including Walcott in any first team squad for the last nine games of the season.

He said: "I don't see Theo playing first team football for the moment. He's a young lad with a big future but we're in a relegation battle and there's no point in putting him on the bench for the sake of it.

"We're confident that he'll be a big star one day and that he'll play at the top level for ten to 15 years, but we've got nine games to save our lives.

"Theo's a good kid but he's still at school and he knows he's still got a lot to learn before he's ready for the Premiership."

Redknapp has previously waited until youngsters are 17 before giving them their chance in the Premiership - however talented they are.

He rates Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand as the three best youngsters he has worked with.

But Cole was the youngest of that trio to play in the top flight at 17 years and 63 days - and Jermain Defoe and Michael Carrick had to wait until they were 18 before making their West Ham debuts under Redknapp.

The youngest ever Premiership player is Leeds United's Aaron Lennon, who was 16 years and 129 days when he made his first team bow at Tottenham in August 2003.

That record would appear to be beyond Walcott, but he could still become the youngest Saint to play league football.

That distinction goes to Danny Wallace, who was handed his debut by Lawrie McMenemy against Manchester United at Old Trafford, aged 16 years and 313 days in November 1980.

Walcott is expected to recover from an ankle ligament injury in time to join up with the rest of the England under 17s squad for three UEFA championship qualifiers against Serbia & Montenegro, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland at the end of the month.