The Time Has Come for Jack Wilshere to Step Up for Arsenal and England

Every so often Jack Wilshere must cast an envious glance at his Arsenal teammate Aaron Ramsey. As the Welshman matured into his 20s, Ramsey has become one of the finest central midfielders in Europe. It was meant to be Wilshere.

Having broken into the Arsenal first team at the age of just 16, Wilshere was regarded as the brightest young talent in the Premier League. With the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard coming into the twilight of their careers he wasn’t just seen as Arsenal’s future but England’s too.

And yet six years after he made his Premier League debut, we’re still waiting for that Wilshere-dominated future. Like so many English talents that show potential at such a young age he has fallen behind the development of his counterparts, like Ramsey.

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Of course, a series of persistent injuries have hindered his progress. That must be taken into consideration when assessing Wilshere’s place with both Arsenal and England.

But having enjoyed a full pre-season and injury-free build-up to the new season it’s time for Wilshere to show he warrants a starting spot for club and country, especially with so much faith being placed in him by Arsene Wenger and Roy Hodgson.

“Wilshere has paid the price for England not winning the World Cup,” said Wenger, dismissing claims that the midfielder had failed to fulfill his promise, as per Tom Peck of the Independent. "Rooney has gone through that, now Wilshere goes through it.”

It is true that much of the criticism angled at Wilshere is unfair. He might not be on a par with Europe’s best just yet, but he is still growing and learning as a football player.

And yet at the same time much of it is justified. Too often Wilshere allows games to pass him by, failing to impose himself on the play in front of him. There are times when his only contribution is to niggle and foul opposition players.

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Glimpses of his capacity as a technically adept, ball-playing creator-in-chief in the middle of the pitch are all too rare. There was the astonishing, pass-and-move through a packed Norwich defence, which resulted in one of the goals of last season. 

It was a demonstration of the player Wilshere could be, driving the play forward from deep before picking his way into the opposition penalty area and finishing with a well-placed shot.

His energy and dynamism could be a real asset for Arsenal as they look to build on last season’s FA Cup triumph by mounting a genuine and lasting Premier League title challenge this term.

Alongside Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Mikel Arteta, the Gunners should have a balance to their central midfield, although Wilshere must carry his share of the burden.

With the Gunners well placed for a title tilt, this is Wilshere’s chance to prove that he has come of age, both as a player and a character. He was once anointed as Arsenal’s next great captain. Now he must show himself to be a leader, even if he does so without the armband.

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Critics have already had to concede their hasty presumptions of Ramsey, whose development surprised even his biggest advocates. The same could now happen with Wilshere, who certainly has a fair tally of doubters.

Paul Scholes, considered by many to be the greatest English footballer of his generation, has joined the chorus calling for Wilshere to finally become the player he once threatened to be.

“He doesn’t look any better player now than he did when he was 17,” said the former Manchester United and England great, expressing the common frustration at the stalling of Wilshere’s career, as per Sam Lee of Goal.

But Scholes speaks as a player who only became the darling of the England football collective until later in his career. If anyone should know the challenges faced by a young, ball-playing central midfielder it is Scholes.

That’s not to say that Wilshere will follow the same trajectory Scholes did, but we should be wary of directing too much derision and scorn the Arsenal midfielder’s way. Wilshere is now the present, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be the future as well.