Wenger: Wilshere quality obvious from an early age

Arsene Wenger says that Jack Wilshere’s talent was obvious when he was a very young player, but has paid tribute to the England midfielder for making the step up to senior football.

Many players shine at a young age but failt to make the transition when they play with the bigger boys. Wilshere, clearly, is not one of them.

“As a very young boy you could see he had a special talent,” said Wenger, “but when you see a boy of 16-years-of-age, you never know how he will develop. He is starting is career now really, having been out for 17 months injured, so the influence he has on the English national team is fantastic.”

The Arsenal boss had no fears that Wilshere would struggle to cope with the pressure and expectation having performed brilliantly for England in midweek against Brazil, thus becoming the latest great white hope of English football.

“It is not just the physical aspect of the game, but also the mental pressure he will be under every time he plays,” he said. “We will have to manage him well physically to make sure he doesn’t have to face burnout.

“I expected Jack to play only a part of the game on Wednesday night, but it didn’t happen. Because of his quality, he will be expose to that kind of issue, but will have to be managed like everyone else.

“I believe that you do not want to set any limit on the development of any player especially when he plays at that level at his age.

“The most important thing for me will be to keep his passion for the game and keep the attitude of wanting to become a better player. If he keeps those two ingredients, he can of course become a fantastic player.”