Wilshere happy with expectations

 
Getty
10 November 2012

Jack Wilshere is ready to live up to Arsenal and England's expectations as his long-awaited return from injury gradually gathers momentum.

The 20-year-old midfielder was this week named in Roy Hodgson's England squad despite having made just three first-team appearances for his club since his return from a 17-month absence due to a succession of ankle injuries.

One of those games, against Manchester United, saw Wilshere pick up two yellow cards and he will miss today's clash with Fulham as a result, but from a fitness point of view he is pleased with his progress.

"I can feel myself getting better and better every game," he told the Daily Mail. "The first hit is always important. It's more for your head than anything else."

With Arsenal still enduring a trophy drought and England's performances patchy of late, hopes are being pinned on Wilshere's return to peak form and fitness.

The youngster is confident he can deliver - but insists he is not his country's only hope.

"You're like (Lionel) Messi when you're injured, aren't you?" he said. "People saying 'Jack this, Jack that, he's the only one with technique'.

"That's fine, that's part and parcel of football. It doesn't fill me with fear. It's nice to read when you're coming back.

"(But) I think if you look a lot deeper you can find players who can compete with the best in the world. It bodes well for the future. Even the centre-backs coming through - Chris Smalling is good on the ball, Phil Jones can play in midfield."

As for club football, Wilshere cannot see himself being tempted to follow the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri out of the Emirates Stadium.

Stating his wish to one day be talked of in the same way as club legends such as Tony Adams, he said: "I've been at this club 10 years and to come through the academy at Hale End and break into the first team is a great story. It's a dream.

"To have my family 20 minutes from the training ground and an hour from the stadium is perfect for me. Cesc wanted to go home (to Barcelona). Home to me is Arsenal."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in