Arsene Wenger thinks Jack Wilshere is proving doubters wrong, and deserves credit for showing the strength to get back to his level.

Wilshere scored in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Wednesday night with a very well taken finish. Reporters after the match pointed out that it was the 26-year-old’s first league goal in two-and-a-half years.

Wenger responded: “I think he is at the level now where not many people expected him to be. When was the last time he played for England? Exactly, against Iceland [at Euro 2016], he came on.

“Since he has not played for England and I would say that means that everybody had given up on him. Today, nobody would be surprised if he was selected again. So that means instances of us being criticised for that, I think first of all he deserves a great credit for remarkable strength and we do as well.”

wilshere chelsea 2
Jack Wilshere scores against Chelsea.

The Arsenal manager was also asked about Wilshere’s consistently impressive performances recently, and simply answered: “Yes, that’s football.” Arsenal and the England international have definitely had to go through a lot to reach this point.

The loan to Bournemouth caused many to question whether the player could ever get back to his best. Then the injury he suffered during that loan increased the doubters even further.

Even when the midfielder returned to Arsenal and recovered, people still expected him to leave, because he wasn’t immediately a starter in the league. He picked up a red card in an u23 game, and the media turned on him.

Wilshere even confronted a journalist from The Sun who claimed the academy graduate had hit a new low:

But now, Jack’s back in the team and contributing. He scored a goal against Chelsea and also assisted one against Crystal Palace last week. He looks sharp on the ball, and moves past players like he did when he first broke through.

Plus, he just played three full games in a week, proving his fitness. Hopefully he can keep it going now.