Arsene Wenger has recently stated that it could be years before Jack Wilshere returns to his best; the midfielder has been dogged by injury problems for a number of years and his manager believes it could be quite a while till we see the Wilshere of old.
Now aged 23, Wilshere can no longer be deemed young in footballing terms and he is still yet to hit the heights many thought he would. Are Arsenal and Wenger right to hold out on the promise of potential?
Since becoming the youngest ever Gunner in 2008 aged 16, he has had a host of his ankle injuries which have no doubt stunted his development and through no fault of his own, he has yet to hold down a place for either club or country.
In the fits and starts that we have seen of the midfielder he has impressed, even his brief cameo against Hull on his long awaited return from yet another lay off, he drove his team forward with purpose and conviction. But still, arguably his best performance on a pitch was against Barcelona in the Champions League four years ago. Where that night there was unbridled hype and furore around the future of English football, there is now a much more quiet anticipation.
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With rumours beginning to emerge of him being a potential target for some of Arsenal’s rivals, is he still indispensable at The Emirates? The Gunners’ central midfield is certainly not lacking in options, Ozil, Carzorla and Ramsey all inhabit a crowded area and Wilshere’s consistent injuries mean it is difficult to argue a case for him to dislodge any of them.
Add to this the emergence of Francis Coquelin in a more defensive role, the main issue with Wilshere is finding a place to play him. The fact that this is an even an issue Wenger must face, simply highlights how his career has stalled in the past four years.
For any English football fan the troubles that Wilshere has encountered have been difficult to watch, he is a footballer that makes people want to go to games. He makes people get out of their seats, on his day he is all-action like Gerrard, but with the technique of Carrick, but unfortunately his day does not come often enough.
He still has the potential to be the beating heart for the Gunners and England but you feel, even at his tender age his time is dwindling where promise alone can earn him reprise from criticism.
It is a crying shame that through no fault of his own, it feels like he has lost his footballing adolescence; but if Arsenal want to contend for titles it seems illogical that they can carry him until he re-finds his best form.
For every football fan in England they should hope that day comes sooner rather than later and more importantly that an extremely talented player can finally overcome his injury woes and be the player he seemed destined to become.
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