‘It has been an honour to play alongside Terry’

London: Arsenal winger Theo Walcott has described playing alongside John Terry as an honour, after the former England captain announced his retirement from international duty.

The Chelsea centre-back, who has 78 Three Lions caps, officially ended his England career on Sunday due to the FA`s decision to charge him with racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. The 31-year-old was found not guilty of racial abuse over the matter at Westminster Magistrates Court on July 13, a fact which he believes should preclude him from being brought before an FA panel. And Walcott, who has often featured for the national team with Terry, has expressed disappointment at the defender`s decision. "You`ve got to respect JT`s decision and personally it`s been a great honour to play with him," he said in an interview. "When I first got into the England set-up, he looked after me well. It`s a shame obviously, but you`ve got to respect that. "I`ve got some great moments playing with him. I`ve got a shirt that he`s signed to me with a lovely message on it. "So I`ve just got to wish him all the best and respect it." The former Southampton starlet went on to insist the Chelsea captain`s presence would be missed in the England dressing room. "A character like JT will always be missed anywhere," he added. "But like I say, we`ve just got to deal with it. JT is a strong character. He knows what he`s doing. And we`ve got some great players in that position." Goal.com