Jack Wilshere has shrugged off player row, says Roy

 
PA
Andy Hodgson10 October 2013

Roy Hodgson has defended Jack Wilshere and is confident the controversy over his comments this week will not affect the Arsenal midfielder in England’s final World Cup qualifiers.

Wilshere sparked a debate over player eligibility after responding to suggestions the Football Association would pursue Manchester United’s Belgian youngster Adnan Januzaj by saying only English players should play for England.

The issue has dominated headlines since but Hodgson does not expect there to be any impact when England take on Montenegro at Wembley tomorrow.

“People are always complaining that players don’t have an opinion or that they say nothing worth listening to, so I don’t think it’s quite right to criticise someone for having an opinion,” said Hodgson. “The subject is worthy of debate and, at the end of the day, it will be a policy decision taken by the FA. From my point of view, it hasn’t affected Jack. I think he shrugs it off.

“He’s put behind him the unfortunate furore over his quotes and it’s not affected him one bit on the field. I think England will get a lot out of him in these next two games and for a long, long time to come.”

Hodgson was appointed last year after beating the early favourite, Harry Redknapp, to the role. In a serialisation of his autobiography this week Redknapp claimed that Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry all texted him to say they would love him to manage England.

But skipper Gerrard, sitting alongside Hodgson today, said: “I didn’t text Harry Redknapp. I had a conversation with Jamie and said, ‘Send my best to your dad, if he gets the England job we’ll all support him’.”

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