The Arsenal winger is the latest to build anticipation of Jack Wilshere’s return from injury next month.
There are always bold claims in football, players are built up, sometimes they reach the dizzy heights and often they disappoint.
Fans of Arsenal and England will hope Jack Wilshere will go on to be an all-time great after his breakthrough last season.
Searching for a comparison in an interview in the Telegraph this morning, Theo Walcott said of Wilshere: “I think he can be better than Cesc. Definitely. He has that character.”
High praise especially when you consider how Fabregas has really stepped up a level in his performances since joining Barcelona.
The similarities are plain to see, both are tenacious, quick passing midfield players who broke into the Arsenal first team while teenagers.
Wilshere has lost his whole season this year to injury, which could mean when he returns he will be fresh to help lead England’s charge at Euro 2012.
But returns from long injuries can also be difficult, as players struggle initially for form and can also pick-up muscle injuries setting them back as they ease themselves back into the intensity of football at the top level.
It makes you wonder whether too much pressure is being placed on Wilshere, and comments like Walcott’s, innocently made of course, only add fuel to the fire.
He is right in that if Wilshere can one day lead Arsenal to win the Premier League, there will be no doubt he will have surpassed Fabregas- the Spaniard was never able to do it.
Wilshere’s success depends on Arsenal’s ability to grow with him. He needs top class players around him and cannot be expected to do it all by himself.
Otherwise if Arsenal remain in this cycle of battling for fourth, to reach Fabregas’ level, you could argue he would be forced to consider moving for the sake of his career to win trophies, even if he may not want to leave the Emirates.
As for Walcott, he should concentrate on his own form for now, it has been another terribly inconsistent season for him.
Let’s just let Wilshere be, allow him to ease his way back into regular football, and stop putting so much pressure on the shoulders of someone so young.
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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