by Nia Griffiths

Jack Wilshere has spoken about the team’s fitness after beating Everton in the Barclays Asia Cup.

The 23-year-old was keen to talk about fitness, a topic close to his heart since his career has been blighted by a string of long term injuries. He believes the whole team look fit at the moment, even against Premier League opposition, and played well against a team that likes to keep the ball.

On a personal note, he mentioned his own fitness and how he’s feeling better and better, despite the training getting more intense by the session.

“I thought we looked really fit today, as we did against the Singapore Select XI,” he said. “It was a different test – Everton started well. They liked to keep the ball, so we didn’t really want to give the ball away and, if we did, we wanted to win it back straight away.”

Adding, “We did that brilliantly. They started to tire in the second half and our fitness levels really showed through.”

“I’m feeling good,” he revealed. “I’ve been back in training for two weeks now. I’ve played two games and there are another two games coming up next weekend after another tough week of training, so I’m feeling good.”

“I think you feel better day by day. The fitness staff here are really good. They make the sessions individualised, so they know what you need in your position.

“Each session gets harder and harder. I’m feeling better and better and hopefully that can continue.”

The midfielder played 64 minutes against Singapore Select XI in our 4-0 win on Wednesday and even scored a penalty. He then went on to play 46 minutes against Everton on Saturday, which we won 3-1.

Finding the balance between rehabilitating Wilshere so he reaches peak fitness, but then also not simultaneously overplaying him is crucial. Overplay him and he could potentially pick up another injury; don’t play him enough and he could never become fit enough to play week in, week out.