Dubbed by Arsene Wenger as the player with a Spanish technique but with an English heart, the career of Jack Wilshere has been one of football’s most disappointing stories. When a young Wilshere first broke into the scene and made his debut at the age of 16, Arsenal’s youngest ever debutant, stories circulated about the arrival of the next great English potential.
Known for his movement, vision, passing and combination play, as well as his leadership on the pitch and the uncanny ability to turn games on its head with moments of magic, Wilshere has everything to rule the midfield on any match day.
However, his career so far has been nothing short of frustrating for the fans, the club and the player himself. Several severe injuries has blighted his career and at the age of 25, English fans are still waiting for Wilshere to live up to his potential.
On days when he has played, he has been effective. His tendency to over-exert himself and do something extraordinary in every situation on the pitch has however either led him to creating a moment of magic or more commonly making a mistake or worst of all, injuring himself.
At the age of 25, he has already missed 155 games in his career with 13 different injuries. The numbers are unbelievable especially when you convert it; that is close to four years of game time.
Arsene Wenger has been a long-term admirer of the stylish midfielder and has refused to give up on Wilshere. After an impressive loan spell at Bournemouth last season, Wilshere was unfortunate to suffer another hairline crack in his calf bone in April this year. The injury kept him out for 112 days before he returned and joined up in training with the lads from North London.
Wenger seems to have finally found a delicate balance in the player’s game time. He has used Wilshere sparingly this season in order to avoid any injuries to the fragile state of the returning player. Wilshere has impressed in his little time on the pitch and will hope to work his way back into the first team and make league appearances for Arsenal again soon.
A fresh turn of events with Wilshere finally performing well and Wenger now knowing how much to use the player to keep him fit has excited fans about the possibility of getting to see the best of Wilshere. It seems the board was mirroring the thoughts of the fans and has reportedly been preparing a new, improved four-year contract for the Englishman hailed by Xavi as the future of English football.
Do you agree with the board’s decision or do you think Wilshere is no longer the player he was?
