Jack Wilshere Player Profile

04 April 2013 09:52

Jack Wilshere is an English international footballer who plays for English club Arsenal and the England national team. He primarily plays as a central midfielder and an attacking midfielder. He is described as a player with 'impressive vision' and a keen footballing brain, allowing him to take control of a game.

Wilshere came up through Arsenal's youth academy and impressed from an early age. He made his first team debut in 2008, at the age of 16, and was Arsenal's youngest ever league debutant. Wilshere has earned a number of accolades including the PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Team of the Year, and Arsenal's Player of the Season as voted on by the fans for his performances in his first full campaign for Arsenal during the 2010–11 season.

The 2010–11 football season was a year of breakthrough for Wilshere. On 15 August 2010, he made his first start in the Premier League for Arsenal against Liverpool at Anfield. He followed that up with another start the next weekend against Blackpool contributing with an assist. On 15 September, Wilshere started his first Champions League game of the season providing an assist. Wilshere was named Arsenal's Player of The Month for September 2010.

On 16 October, Wilshere received his first straight red card in first-team football in a Premier League match against Birmingham City for a challenge on Nikola Žigić.On 19 October, Wilshere scored his first Champions League goal with a chip over Andriy Pyatov at the Emirates Stadiumfor Arsenal in a 5–1 thrashing of Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stage.

Unfortunately for Jack, during the summer leading into the 2011–12 season, Wilshere suffered a stress fracture ankle injury during a Emirates Cup pre-season friendly against New York Red Bulls. The injury proved a persistent problem throughout Arsenal's pre-season and on 26 September, Wilshere underwent successful surgery, and was to be ruled out for four to five months. However, on 27 January, he suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury, and in April 2012 he was ruled out for the remainder of the season. The injury meant that he did not participate in a single club match all season as well as the 2012 Olympics and England's UEFA Euro 2012 campaign.

Wilshere is a player known for his movement, vision, passing and combination play, as well as his leadership on the pitch. He has been described by Arsène Wenger as having "Spanish technique, but an English heart.”

Wilshere has been used in a number of positions, including attacking midfielder, winger, and predominantly deep-lying central midfielder. In Wenger's words: 'He's a box-to-box player, more than just a holding midfielder.'

On 19 December 2012, it was announced that Wilshere, along with teammates Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Kieran Gibbs, Aaron Ramsey and Carl Jenkinson, signed a new long term contract with Arsenal.

Source: DSG