Glenn Hoddle claims that Jack Wilshere can be the man to bring the magic to England’s performances at next year’s World Cup.
Wilshere has made a slow return to full match fitness but is now enjoying a fine run of form for Arsenal. He’s only currently faced League Cup and Europa League teams but is on his way to returning to the Premier League on a regular basis if he can maintain such levels of performance.
Former Chelsea manager Glenn Hoddle, however, believes Wilshere will be back in the England team before too long and say the Three Lions need him badly, reports talkSPORT.
“We haven’t got that little bit of magic that can unlock the door and I think Jack Wilshere, if he can get fit and keep playing… [could be the man to provide it],” he said.
“He is a footballer. I saw him play in the Europa League a couple of weeks back and he was excellent. He has got a lovely bit of vision, a good pass on him, and I can see him releasing players with pace.
“There are a lot of exciting players going forward and I just think we haven’t seen them because we are lacking that central midfield player that is going to unlock the door and see pictures.”
It’s rare that I find myself completely agreeing with something Glenn Hoddle has said, but this just might be one of those occasions. Wilshere looked fantastic against BATE Borisov and tore them apart in a whirlwind first half-hour.
The 25-year-old was beating players one-on-one, playing clever passes to unlock the defence, and it wasn’t long before he was assisting Theo Walcott for the opener.
It didn’t stop there, as throughout the match the midfielder continued to show why supporters have been long awaiting his return to the action.
England have been a bit tiresome to watch recently, beating Lithuania and Slovenia by one goal each and not particularly looking like scoring a second on either occasion. In my opinion, and clearly Hoddle’s as well, Wilshere can help with that problem.
If he can bring the kind of creativity he showed against Borisov to the England team, there will surely be more chances for the forward players to convert.
Perhaps the best way to convince manager Gareth Southgate would be for the Arsenal man to continue doing the same thing for the Gunners.