Jack Wilshere can take the strain, says Theo Walcott

Good omen: Theo Walcott celebrates with Jack Wilshere after scoring for Arsenal and the pair hope to give England fans something to cheer tomorrow
11 April 2012

As an Arsenal teenager prepares for his full England debut amid great hysteria over his potential impact in international football, Theo Walcott can be forgiven for thinking he has heard it all before.

Manager Fabio Capello has confirmed that Jack Wilshere is set to start against Denmark tomorrow night to continue the dramatic upward curve in his fledgling career.

Following last season's loan spell at Bolton, the 19-year-old earned his first senior cap as a late substitute in August's friendly victory over Hungary also cementing his place in the Arsenal first team ahead of Denilson and Abou Diaby.

England are yet to fully regenerate themselves after their World Cup meltdown and the greatest cause for hope rests on the shoulders of the Gunners' midfield sensation, whom Capello identified last week as the man around whom the team will be built.

Wilshere has started 28 games for Arsenal this season - only Laurent Koscielny exceeds that number - and a keen sense of anticipation surrounds his England involvement given the smooth progress he has made through the ranks thus far.

Such child stars are not a new phenomenon, however, as Walcott can testify. The former Southampton winger is the ultimate example of premature promotion, having been selected for the 2006 World Cup despite not playing a single top-flight match.

Wilshere is two years older now than Walcott was when Sven-Goran Eriksson plucked him from obscurity and plays with a maturity that suggests he can handle the increase in both class and expectation in the Parken Stadium tomorrow evening.

"I had never played in the Premier League and didn't deserve to be in the England team when I was but that is in the past now and Jack is different," Walcott told Standard Sport.

"There is no point me looking back on that - it has only helped me, I think, on and off the pitch to get used to what comes with it.

"Jack already has experience in dealing with that because he was given the opportunity to play this season with Arsenal and he has grabbed it. Hopefully, now he will get the opportunity to play for England and he is better equipped to deal with it than I was.

"He is the sort of lad that no matter who comes up to him, he has his own ideas - he is very strong mentally. He will always listen and I am always there for him if he wants to come to me.

"He doesn't come to talk about things that much but he doesn't have to because I know how strong he is as a character, especially given the number of games he has played.

"So there's no need for him to go up to players and ask them different questions because I don't think he needs that, to be fair. He just wants to go out there and play football."

It is far too easy to forget that the amiable Walcott is just 21 himself but while his own return to the England set-up following Capello's decision not to take him to South Africa - something the Italian now regrets - it is Wilshere's inclusion that allows England supporters to dream again.

The decade-long debate over Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard's suitability as a midfield pairing was somewhat quietened by Gareth Barry's promotion to the holding role, but Wilshere's arrival in that position should end it once and for all.

Arsenal deploy him as part of a two-man defensive shield in front of the back four in their 4-2-3-1 system but, such is his versatility, Wilshere could easily play further forward, as indeed he would like to.

His vision and creativity are unquestionable, while he frequently belies his 5ft 5in frame to battle resiliently with the toughest midfielders in the League. Besides, being diminutive in stature has never done Andres Iniesta or Xavi any harm.

"He gives us a different option and definitely shows what he has in training," Walcott said.

"I think the manager has belief in him and we certainly have as players, so he can be a success. I hope he can come in and make an impact straight away. It's up to the manager if he gets a run in the side but he has definitely shown it for Arsenal.

"He's not the sort of player who will get you 15 goals a season from midfield but he will break down play, get a lot of assists, and has a gifted left foot. Being on the right side, its great for me because he looks for the diagonal ball to me quite a lot and dink passes over the centre-backs and left-backs, so I love playing with him."

That understanding developed at club level will doubtlessly help Wilshere bed in on the international stage as he embarks upon a path Walcott knows so well.

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