Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes was critical of Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere before today’s Premier League clash.
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes was made to eat his words after Jack Wilshere put on a fantastic display for Arsenal this afternoon.
Scholes, a pundit for BT sport and analysing the match, criticised the Gunners midfielder before kick-off and questioned whether the 22-year-old knew what his role in the team was.
“I don’t really know (if he’s good enough to be in the starting line-up). Is he a holding midfield player or an attacking player? I think he’s confused. I think he’s a frustrated figure at the moment. He’s trying to force the play.” He said, quoted by the Daily Mail.
“I’m not sure how much work he [Wenger] does with him, but I’m not sure he does enough. He has fallen so far behind Aaron Ramsey, and you have to blame the manager for that. They’re trying to find a position for him and I don’t know what it is.”
The Red Devils’ idol, however, had clearly spoken too soon as the young England international produced a superb display as the North Londoners and Manchester City played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in today’s early Premier League encounter.
Aside from scoring a well-taken equaliser, Wilshere was everywhere at the Emirates and at times looked the best player on the pitch.
| Team | Pos | Goals | Total Att Assist | Won Tackle | Won Contest | Was Fouled | Accurate Pass | Total Fwd Zone Pass | Ball Recovery | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | MF | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 4 | 51 | 44 | 12 | 1 | 90 |
As per the Opta Stats table, Wilshere also contributed with two tackles, a whopping ten successful dribbles, 12 ball recoveries and drew up to four fouls.
Despite refusing to backtrack his previous statement, Scholes did acknowledge that Arsenal’s Man of the Match put in a top performance and now feels he has the base to go on and have a solid campaign.
“It shows he’s an attacking midfielder capable of doing it at the highest level. It’s still early in the season, time will tell.”
“What he has done is made a great start to the season, now he’s got the base to go on and have a good season.”
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