Ian Wright believes Jack Wilshere isn’t in a good place for Arsenal right now, after the midfielder picked up a red card for fighting when with the u23s.

Ian Wright was speaking to Sky Sports about the incident, and told them: “For me, he doesn’t show that he’s in a good place to retaliate like he did. It’s worrying times for him – I do feel for him. 

“I know he’s been injured and the guy’s caught him a bit late, but you’ve got to be bigger than that, he’s got to get on with that and show that he’s in a different place.

“I remember when I played in the reserves at that stage of my career, I was getting towards the end, kids were kicking you, you were having banter back with them.”

In many ways Wrighty’s comments are completely fair. Wilshere certainly could have reacted less strongly, especially with Tyreke Wilson, who didn’t have any part in the original foul. Although, at that point the Arsenal midfielder was already too worked up to be thinking clearly.

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However, it’s also true that it’s hard to put yourself in the shoes of someone who has spent as much time out as Wilshere has. You understand that people want to win and will do anything to get their side a result, but aggressive challenges without purpose must get under the 25-year-old’s skin more than any other.

Realistically that’s all you can call the initial challenge by Matthew Smith. There was no way he was winning possession and no reason he should be so keen to get it. The ball wasn’t in a dangerous position for either team and Arsenal were 4-1 up at the time.

I feel that following through the way that he did could only be motivated by frustration and wanting to hurt the Arsenal team physically the way the Gunners had been hurting City with their football.

The result is that Wilshere will now have another few weeks out, unless he makes it straight back into the first-team. He doesn’t seem too worried though, calling out journalists who think he should be:

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