Jack Wilshere Is Displaying on Pitch Why Jamie Redknapp and Critics Are Wrong

Already in his young career with Arsenal and England, Jack Wilshere has become something of a lightning rod for criticism.

It's inevitable, really. For both club and country, Wilshere is an emblem of a new era. He carries the hopes of the supporters on his young shoulders.

If he achieves his potential, it's felt he can lead both teams in to a bold new era. If he doesn't, then the swipes from the sidelines increase. Talent brings expectation, and expectation almost inevitably generates frustration when things don't pan out as well as they might.

Wilshere has endured a difficult few seasons. Injuries have prevented him from getting the run of games required for his best form. Critics have circled like vultures above the young Englishman, ready to pick him apart.

The latest to fire shots is Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp. According to The Guardian, the former England international recently said:

"

Jack Wilshere's problem is Jack Wilshere. He's not performing. He's got to take games by the scruff of the neck like two years ago. There are no excuses for this young lad any more.

"

Wilshere isn't making excuses. However, he is fighting back: not just on the pitch but off it, too. Given the floor at an England press conference, Wild revealed to Dominic Fifield of The Guardian that he had taken umbrage with Redknapp's comments:

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I listen to the people who I work closely with and, with all due respect, if anything Redknapp should have a little bit more, not 'respect' but 'sympathy'. It's easy for someone to go on television and say: 'He should be doing this or that.' But, if you look back, he was injured just as much as I was. Maybe more. And he was never injured at my age as well and it does take a lot of mental strength [to come back].

So to hear people go on TV and say: 'He's got to get fitter,' well, I don't need that. I listen to people like the boss here, Gary Neville, people who talk a lot of sense and can help me with my game. It doesn’t 'hurt' me, hearing criticism from ex-players. It probably disappoints me a little bit more. I heard what Robbie Savage said and that was, if you like, the first ex-player to give me constructive criticism. I respected that.

"

It seems that when it comes to Wilshere, people find it easier to see the negatives than the positives. There is so much talk about what he doesn't do that what he does do is increasingly overlooked.

Wilshere might not be at the level that was anticipated when he burst on to the scene in his mid-teens. He may never hit those giddy heights. However, he remains an important player for both Arsenal and England.

Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

This season, there have been signs that his form is improving. In the home leg of the tie with Besiktas, for example, a box-to-box Wilshere display earned him the man-of-the-match award. Performances of that calibre are an eye-catching reminder of just what he's capable of.

Wilshere won't take too much notice of barbs from pundits. Arsene Wenger continues to pick him. Roy Hodgson continues to pick him. Football men of huge standing retain faith in his abilities.

This season Wilshere has played in all but one of Arsenal's opening set of fixtures. Just as importantly, he has taken full part in every single training session. That is giving him the platform he needs to improve his performances.

At last, Wilshere is fighting fit. Critics and opposition alike should beware.

James McNicholas is Bleacher Report's lead Arsenal correspondent and will be following the club from a London base throughout the 2014/15 season. Follow him on Twitter here.