Theo Walcott, the Arsenal forward, says he would be honoured to play for the England Under-21 team in next summer's European Championships, adding that he would be "willing to die" for his country.

The 19-year-old, who burst onto the international scene with a hat-trick against Croatia last month, has established himself as a key part of Fabio Capello's plans over the past few months.

He has now indicated his willingness to play for the Under-21s after Stuart Pearce, the manager, said he hoped to take the player to the finals. "If you get called for England, you would die for England," he said.

Walcott feels he is an integral part of the national set-up initially feeling overawed when he was his selected by Sven-Goran Eriksson for the 2006 World Cup before he had played for Arsenal.

"It feels like I'm more part of the squad now," he said. "The England manager is strict. He generates respect, if you mess him about, you'll be out of the door.

"That's why a lot of players are very professional when they come to England now. They were before, but I think we've got it right now.

"Before I was the quiet lad. You were with all these world-class players and I'd never played in the Premier League and, in your head, you're thinking, 'I shouldn't be here'."

However, Walcott revealed that he had been stunned when Capello, the England manager, told him he would be starting the match against Croatia in Zagreb. "I was thinking, 'I'll be on the bench, I won't start'," Walcott said.

"And then, 10 minutes before getting on the coach, he announced the team. The first 15 minutes of the match was the most nervous I've been in a football match.

The former Southampton player says he is determined to make the most of his career, and has turned his back on the celkebrity lifestyle favoured by some of his team-mates.

"My career is short, I know that. You don't want to waste it, you want to reach your top level," he said. "I don't go to nightclubs. They're not for me - it doesn't interest me whatsoever. I don't see the point."