Jack Wilshere has revealed that Arsene Wenger deliberately delayed his return to full first team training at the tail end of the season in an attempt to ensure the 22-year-old would be fully fit for the World Cup.
The midfielder sustained a fractured foot on England duty at the beginning of March and didn’t feature for the Gunners until an appearance off the bench against Norwich on the final day of the season and a cameo in the FA Cup final.
Admitting he was starting to panic about whether he’d be picked for Brazil due to a lack of game time, Wilshere told the Guardian that Wenger was insistent he build his core strength knowing time was on his side.
“I was panicking a bit about the squad, I wanted to be in it.
“I thought I was ready but he [Wenger] said: ‘No, you’re not. You need to train alone if you are to have a good World Cup. You need a good fitness base and to be right in every aspect.’
“That is what I am now.”
Recognising that he’s not assured a start when England touch down in South America, Wilshere stressed that his first concern was just to be on the plane.
“I just wanted to be here. I would have been devastated to have missed out and I knew the work I had to put in. If I got here, I could prove to the manager [Roy Hodgson] I’m ready. I’d like to think he saw enough of me throughout the season and knew what I could do if I was fit.
“Both Roy and Gary Neville got in contact during those six weeks, which was a big thing for me. The manager said I had time to get fit and to make sure I did and that we’d have chat then.”
England play friendlies against Peru, Ecuador and Honduras in the next two weeks before they kick-off their World Cup campaign against Italy on 14 June…plenty of time for Jack to get important minutes under his belt.
So happy that didier did not pick Diaby though.
Arsene knows best!
am rather so happy Didier did not pick na$ri.
Makes me laugh how quickly people have written him off- I’ve got mates who have gone from raving about him to saying he’s a flop. Have a feeling he’s going to perform seriously well in Brazil. Just imagine if Jack were to have as big a resurgence as Ramsey, those two and chamblerlain could be the perfect perfect midfield to build around for best part of a decade. Pace, tenacity, good distance shooting, good finishing, strength, intelligence, young. Can’t wait for next season.
Alas, I think they might be a bit too similar. Maybe if Ox stays on the wing and Wilshere eventually gets into the no. 10 role
See what you mean, but I think each of them possesses a skill that the other doesn’t. Chamberlain’s quick and direct, usually the player taking the ball at the defence. Ramsey is the second man, running in to gather loose balls/ finish cut backs, while Wilshere is the collector who moves the ball on to begin the whole move. All this while at the same time all more than happy to get stuck into a tackle and get in opponents faces. Iniesta and Xavi on paper are quite similar (or at least were until Xavi started getting on a bit),… Read more »
I think we’re forgetting Ozil who will also only be better next season.
Just don’t fuck up your body Jack.. You on the verge of a Ramsey-esque season
He really needs to learn his limits and stop trying to rush back from injury
Funny, if you believe the media BS you’d think that Wenger doesn’t care about the national team and is really selfish with his players, only wanting them to do well for Arsenal… and yet he we have quotes suggesting exactly the opposite?
Just goes to show who you should really trust.
I think it’s the mid week friendlies the other side of the world he has objection to. I think we all agree shipping players off on 12 hour flights to play 45mins in a game which is of no importance in the middle of a season is fucking redonkulous. He has done the punditry for French TV at the previous few world cups and is apparently massively passionate when it comes to French games so he clearly enjoys these tournaments. Also, watching a player that you have known and mentored since a young boy coming up through the ranks and… Read more »
If a man isn’t demonstrative on the sideline or with the press, he leaves room for supposition. Mr Wenger lets the morons be morons, and quietly, without fanfare, makes intelligent choices. He’s raising these kids well.
The media are especially bad when it comes to arsenal. That journo from the mail saying Rambo was injured. Its been taken down as if it didn’t happen. No apology or even admittance.
He’s been delaying diabys return for several years so he can have an excellent 2022 World Cup.
HaHa! classic
AW always had class about him, which is reflected in the players he buys/creates as well. The classic case being Ramsey – we would never see his news anywhere other than the front page!
As the great white hope after Rooney (!) Wilshere as well would have been hot headed & spoiled rotten anywhere else just like Rooney is. At Arsenal he has developed into a lot more sensible and mature young man. The Arsenal DNA showed when he called Scholes after the criticism.
Oops sorry meant to say “we’ll not see his news anywhere other than the sports pages” (for now).
Bloody right they should select him. They’re the reason he was out injured in the first place!
Thought so. Brilliant man management from Wenger as always.
In 2012/2013 Ramsey had a season to forget. Went and played for team GB at the Olympics, though they didn’t go far but Ramsey had good minutes under his belt in his favoured position. When pre season came he was at full fitness and kicked on from where he left off at the Olympics. Here’s hoping Jack would experience something similar this summer.
I hate it when people compare him to Ramsey, saying he’s going to have a “Ramsey-esque season”. I don’t mean to be inflammatory or cause offense to those people, and I may be misinterpreting what they say. It seems as though they think he is going to be the next Aaron Ramsey, when in reality Jack should focus on becoming a completely different type of player. For me, Jack could become the perfect Barcelona-type player. I know this site holds a dim view of Barca, but there’s no denying that Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets are top midfielders, and Jack’s skillet… Read more »
Don’t think people who say that mean he can (or should) literally do what Ramsey does, just drawing the comparison between “Struggling season, frustrating niggly injuries, people writing them off to BOOM all over the show with awesomeness”. I, for one, took it as that 🙂 I agree with you re his attitude, but if you look at his maturity compared to before his injury, I think he’ll be well set in that department too pretty soon.
I think it would be a waste of his dribbling skills and tenacity to focus on simply controlling a game, that sounds kinda stupid I know, but in keeping with your final paragraph, Jack could do that and so much more.
The comparisons with Ramsey is more for what they’ve gone through and what they might become than type of players, but I feel their well-rounded skill sets aren’t unlike each other…I don’t find it hard to imagine Jack bursting forwards from midfield like Rambo and we’ve seen Aaron’s interplay and passing isn’t too shabby either.
People don’t actually mean he will play an identical game to Ramsey – just that he will have an excellent season and silence his doubters, allowing his true ability to shine through, much like Ramsey has this season.
We know what he’s capable of just from that Barca game.
Just needs to shut up and improve.
Best he goes and gets some game time with Engerland than us. Use them as the guinea pig for once.
I think Wenger knows that if Jack has a positive World Cup run of games it will be the perfect launch pad for next seasons premiership! This is why Wenger is a genius! Come on you Gunners!
So long as he doesn’t get knacked because of it.
Jack’s nature is to go in 120%. He won’t pull back. he has to learn to pick his fights slightly better.
He’s coming into a good age at 23 where Walcott and Ramsey before him came good (and I believe Fabregas) If he can avoid the injuries, he has already hinted at his special talent with that goal against Norwich. Currently, there isn’t anyone who can carry the ball from deep besides Diaby. Ramsey is a mover/passer and thrives on positioning where Jack can take the ball to feet and through a crowd. We need this vertical dimension at times particularly if the opposite defense is locked in tight. Hope we get some use out of Diaby as well for this… Read more »
Now that Jack has had a proper recovery time from his injuries I think he will blossom into a true superstar, the same way that Ramsey did starting in March 2013. I predict he will be the best English player in Brazil and it will be him, not Rooney or Gerrard, that leads England out of their group. England won’t go far, but Wilshere will stand out. Wenger has done an outstanding job of man management with Wilshere. If he stays fit through the World Cup, get a decent vacation afterwards, then has a good pre-season starting with the Emirates… Read more »
Arsene Wenger is just pure class. There is only one breed of this man. Selfless, Compassionate, Committed, Forward thinking, and Considerate. He has his dark side but there are many management lessons to learn from this man. He has shown that the team is not all about himself. Many coaches would have rushed Jack back when the season wasn’t going well but Jack’s health is above anything Wenger could win. I know many players have not returned the favor but the major thing in life is to do good. Other examples are Cesc, RVP, Ramsey, Diaby. When he was asked… Read more »
It is funny how people are writing off Jack but bang on about Lallana who is 26-27. Just shows that everyone needs to be given time.
@DR no you’re completely right, which is what I tried to get on to in my final paragraph. The point is that Messi is Messi for about 5-10 total minutes of a football match, needing only to show flashes of brilliance to win it. Whereas Xavi is Xavi for 90 minutes plus injury time, keeping the game exactly where Messi can use it. To simplify the comparison Wilshere is Xavi and Ramsey is Messi. But the great thing about Wilshere is that he has other talents too. He is capable of showing flashes of brilliance like Ramsey and of taking… Read more »