Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere looks set to defy Arsene Wenger’s wishes after the midfield starlet revealed he wants to play for England in the Euro Under-21 Championships in Denmark this summer.
The 19-year-old, who is wanted by Three Lions coach Stuart Pearce, told The Sun today that he would like to take part in the summer competition:
‘At the moment I feel I can keep going.’
‘I’ve played 43 games this season but I feel better than ever.’
‘I want to play in the Under-21 tournament. It is now up to Stuart Pearce, Fabio Capello and my Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. They will all talk about it and see what is best for me.’
‘I feel the Under-21 tournament will only be good for my career. If you look at the Germans, they beat England in the 2009 final and the following year they went to the World Cup and did really well.’
‘It is important to start winning international tournaments early and get the winning habit into you. Hopefully you can then take it on to the world stage.’
‘It’s a good idea for players to go to these types of tournaments – it helps you develop a lot. The more you play with players you know the better you’re going to do individually and as a team.’
As you may have guessed, or heard even, Wenger is not so keen on letting his young star participate in the summer tournament, as he believes Wilshere could suffer the same consequences as Theo Walcott did two years ago.
The speedy winger took part in an end of season qualifier in Kazakhstan, and was then called up to the Under-21 Championships in Sweden, which evidently, proved to be a fatal error by the Englishman. The following season, Walcott suffered a lot of injuries, which Wenger believes was due to burnout, hence why the Frenchman is eager to keep Wilshere in the country this summer.
In my opinion, I think Jack Wilshere should take part in the Euro Under-21 Championships this summer. I totally agree with Wilshere’s statements and simply want to echo his words. Taking part in the tournament can only benefit his career in the long-term, by developing his ability further. Besides, it’s only a two week competition, what’s the worst that can happen?
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I think Wilshere should go with England to the under 21 euro champinoships. It will help him develop as a player and I’m sure he would come back to Arsenal as an even better player then he is now.