April 2008: In a match between Arsenal’s reserves and West Ham reserves, 16-year-old Jack Wilshere donned the no.10 shirt and tormented the Hammers for 84 minutes. First, he cut in from the right wing before reversing a sublime through ball for Rui Fonte to poke past the goalkeeper.
Then came the moment of his fledgling career as a footballer. After receiving the ball at the edge of the box, he set himself up for a shot that went high, curled into the top corner and sailed past the goalkeeper to find the back of the net. He had made four touches – all with his left foot – to put it away and double the lead.
Arsene Wenger sat in the stands and smiled his knowing smile. In fact, everyone watching the game knew. “You won’t have to pay a penny for him, Arsene!” said the commentator. With the Gunners cruising towards a 2-0 win, Wilshere was withdrawn late in the game and the crowd gave the youngest player on the pitch a standing ovation...
The hammer blow
New England manager Sam Allardyce announced his squad for the upcoming international break and notable exclusions included two midfielders who had once been earmarked as the ‘ future of England’ – Jack Wilshere and Ross Barkley. The Golden Generation that failed to reach even the knockout stages, let alone win silverware, had made way for these young players who were already on their way to establishing themselves as stars at their respective clubs.
Barkley is 22 and has only had one terrific season under his belt. Wilshere, on the other hand, has been knocking at the door for a long time even though he is still only 24.
“Wilshere was probably looking to get back in but we will continue to monitor, will watch everybody,” Allardyce explained. “Who is to say they won’t be in next time and keep the pressure on me by playing well?”
The message was clear. There was no place for players with the potential to do well. Only performances on the field mattered and Wilshere has barely registered 150 minutes of football since the start of last season.
It is not entirely his fault, however. Wilshere’s brush with injuries would even have Abou Diaby shaking his head.
February 2011: Against an all-conquering Barcelona side, fans were in for a surprise to see Wilshere make the starting lineup alongside Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song in midfield. Up against the aura of Lionel Messi, the magic of Andres Iniesta, the conductor in Xavi and the wall that was Sergio Busquets, Wilshere held his own – and then some.
The 19-year-old was fearless in his performance, barely bothered by the midfield greats in the Barcelona shirts pressing him on all sides to win the ball back. Every first touch had purpose and direction. Every pass was made without the next move telegraphed for the benefit of his opponents. Tackles were made with both the power of a butcher knife and the finesse of a scalpel.
Wilshere did not look out of place in this game as the Gunners came from behind to go and claim their biggest win at the Emirates in what was dubbed the ‘Beautiful Football Derby’. Instead, he looked like he belonged on the big stage.
Of all the players Wenger had scouted over the decades in Europe and abroad, he had unearthed the next big thing in midfield right at home in London.
Wilshere’s injuries were not the only problem
Since 2009, Wilshere has injured his ankles at least 10 times. This is not an exaggeration but an actual statistic. The scale of his ankle injuries alone have kept him out for either a mere two weeks or a tear-jerking 14 months.
The injuries were not the only concern, though. While his on-field play did turn heads, so did his off-field behaviour. And it gave the English tabloids enough to fuel the fire and put him under the microscope at a very young age.
Caught on camera for smoking cigarettes and then sharing images of Zidane smoking to justify the act, such distractions soon became the norm. Other incidents included Wilshere spitting at a cab driver who refused to give him a lift, attributing it to his drunken state. Then there was a quarrel at a nightclub involving a girl which led to his arrest after a fight with her boyfriend eventually saw the girl dislocate her elbow in the melee.
One thing Wenger looks at when deciding to sign a player is his love for the game. Wilshere had that in abundance and his academy coaches would attest to his ebullient nature. Unfortunately, it seemed as if fame and fortune had changed a teenager destined for greater things.
October 2013: Facing a wall of six Norwich City defenders, Wilshere passed the ball to Santi Cazorla and accelerated into the box. A flurry of touches followed between him, Cazorla and Olivier Giroud and three seconds later the ball was in the back of the net.
The Norwich players were still wheeling around on the spot, looking for the ball. Their goalkeeper John Ruddy just stood rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend what he had just seen. The linesman kept his flag down. Why would he lift it up – as many as three defenders had played him onside.
Wengerball was the toast of the town as Wilshere soaked in the crowd’s applause for what soon became the Goal of the Season on numerous fan polls. The Emirates erupted and there was a crackling buzz around the ground for the rest of the first half.
Wenger had confirmed at the start of the 2015/16 season that Wilshere would miss the majority of the campaign after the Englishman had a surgery on a hairline fibula fracture.
“This one was mentally the toughest one to take because I had a good pre-season,” Wilshere said in an interview.
“It was literally the day before the Community Shield match. I was ready, fit and expected to play and then all of a sudden it happened. It was just a freak accident and it is tough.”
The recurring injuries were painful for Arsenal fans to take in. In the six seasons since he had become a regular in the Arsenal squad, Wilshere had only had three (relatively) injury-free seasons.
The 2013/14 season was arguably his best as he capped it off with the FA Cup – the Gunners’ first trophy in nine years. It was an opportunity the close the door on a forgettable 2011 League Cup final that saw Wilshere reduced to tears following Birmingham City’s last-gasp winner.
The distractions seem to be behind him as he now takes care of two kids while he also confirmed that he got engaged this summer. But the injuries have been mounting for the past six years and they have cut into the development of arguably one of England’s finest prospects.
A career-defining season lies ahead
Wilshere’s career is far from making an upward trajectory again and this season will be his biggest test. While the trio of Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Flamini and Tomas Rosicky may have departed, Granit Xhaka and Mohamed Elneny have taken their place and impressed so far. Xhaka, who is younger than Wilshere and Arsenal’s £35m addition to the squad, has already shown what he can do with his range of passing and ball distribution.
Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey have come back from a brilliant European championship and will be tough to displace when both midfielders are available while Santi Cazorla has already shown the Gunners exactly what they missed last season.
So where does that leave Wilshere? With a lot of work to do. He joined the north London club at the age of nine and he bleeds red-and-white. He knows what the club is all about, he was handed the iconic no.10 shirt and has also had the honour of wearing the captain’s armband.
At 24, he still has a decade of football left in him. But it is up to him to put his head down and ensure that he adds to the highlight reel before a few flashes of brilliance is all he is remembered for.
