Interim England Manager Gareth Southgate has called up Arsenal loanee Jack Wilshere for this month’s international matches against Scotland and Spain. The midfielder has seen his career been severely hampered by injuries and after being left out of the England squad by Sam Allardyce, Arsene Wenger allowed the player to go out on loan to Bournemouth where he would get the game time he wasn’t going to get at the Emirates. The move, marked by Bournemouth as their biggest signing ever in a transfer window has so far been a very successful one.
Having rediscovered his form under Eddie Howe, the 24-year old started seven games in a row with the Cherries and completed 90 minutes for the first time since September 2014 against Tottenham last month.
Since 2010/11, Wilshere has not been able to play 30 games a season which is a worrying stat and spending just 141 minutes on the pitch of the whole of last season was a huge red flag. There is not a shadow of doubt about the ability of the player and frankly when fully fit he will almost walk into any England team.
Enjoying a good stretch where he is feeling fully fit and ready to go, it’s no brainer that Southgate has included the player in the England squad. When asked to comment on that issue Southgate replied, “Jack is a player who we feel has a lot of class. It’s good for him to get some 90 minutes under his belt again and we felt the time was right to put him back in. It’s been important for him to get some regular football. We know the quality that he possesses and it’s good for him to feel the faith that we have in him.”
While his recent call-up might be the clear indication that the move to Dean Court has worked in his favour, there has been several factors which has contributed to the resurgence of the midfielder. The regular cryotherapy sessions in the ice chamber at the end of the ankle mobilization program which was developed for the player by Arsenal played a massive part and the remaining portion is owed to the Wattbike – a state-of-the-art ‘professional training machine’.
Developed in 2008, when British Cycling wanted an indoor training machine that could record extensive data, the Wattbike has been central to Wilshere’s rehabilitation since he suffered a cracked bone in his lower leg at the start of last season. There is now also a bit of more maturity displayed in terms of tackling and releasing a pass by the Arsenal loanee which makes things a lot easier in avoiding unnecessary injuries.
Having made his debut with the National team in 2010, when he was only 18, it’s good to see that Wilshere was so determined to earn his place back in the team. Being shown the faith and support from his manager Gareth Southgate and all those around him, Jack is determined to convince everybody that he deserves a place in the national squad not by virtue of his talent or potential but by his performance on the pitch which matters the most.
