Jack Wilshere was critical of his Arsenal u18 side after their draw against Southampton on Saturday, despite the team earning a point.

The form of Jack Wilshere’s u18 side has been a little difficult to pin down in recent months, with the side unbeaten in the u18 Premier League since the start of October, but suffering disappointing cup exits and not showing much consistency from week to week.

Most recently, the u18s led twice against Southampton on Saturday, only to end up drawing the game.

Whilst Wilshere had some praise for the two goals his team scored, he was disappointed with much of the rest of the performance.

“I didn’t think we had anything in possession,” Wilshere said. “We pressed well at times.

“But when you play for Arsenal and you get the ball, you need to look after it, keep it, and make passes. You cannot panic and give the ball away.

“In fairness, we did score two good goals, but we didn’t defend our box well enough. We suffered at times, and it shows good character when you suffer and get something out of the game, but we have to be better.”

Performances and results haven’t been helped by u18 players receiving call-ups to the u21s, or indeed the first team in the case of someone like Ethan Nwaneri.

Despite the u18s struggling for consistency, they remain fourth in the u18 Premier League table, and still in touch with the leaders.

Table-topping West Ham United have played two more games than Arsenal, and second-place Spurs have played three more. A couple of big wins could see the Gunners leapfrog them both.

But third-place Chelsea are actually in the best position to capitalise, three points ahead of Arsenal having played a game less.

You can watch the highlights from the u18s’ latest fixture here.