After a solid end to last season, two great performances for England and a rather succeesful pre-season, Arsene Wenger would have been seriously hoping that this would be the season Jack Wilshere would stay fit, play a full season and show his true talent to the rest of the league and the world. Unfortunately, following a challenge from Gabriel in training, Wilshere suffered a hairline fracture in his ankle, ruling him at for atleast a month.
Arsene Wenger is a big fan of the 23-year-old, but whether or not he would have been a key player or regular starter in the opening stages of the campaign, nobody knows. Nonetheless, Wilshere would have played apart and will assumingly be a miss for the club.
Wilshere's creativity
Despite Arsenal being a team blessed with inventive players, Jack Wilshere could have added to that, especially in tighter games. A great example of this is Wilshere's goal against Norwich City. Wilshere's smart thinking in addition to his instincitive off ball movement led to Arsenal scoring one of the greatest team goals seen in the league.
Whilst playing for England, Jack Wilshere operates in a deeper role in the midfield, similarly to Andrea Pirlo. Whilst playing in the position, Wilshere has shown his impressive ball distribution skills, a skill that is fundamental in Arsenal's philosophy. An example of his skill is his assist against Scotland, where he made a delightful long pass for Oxlade-Chamberlain to head in.
The England man has a great engine
Just like Francis Coquelin and Aaron Ramsey, Wilshere is one of those players that never stops running and working hard for the good of the team. Even when Arsenal are being outplayed, you will still find Jack Wilshere working his socks off in order to try and bring the team back into the game.
Modern day footballers are often criticized to lack commitment and are described as being lazy, so players like Wilshere, that have a great fighting spirit and are determined to push themselves to the limit for the good of the team, should be greatly appreciated.
Direct running at defenders
The one thing that Wilshere is criticized for the most is his injury-provoking playing style, which almost always tends to lead to him being on the receiving end of a crunching tackle due to him running with the ball and showing too much of it to the opponent. However, there's no hidding that Wilshere's runs often give opposition defence's numerous problems due to his change of pace. This is something Arsenal will miss, especially in tighter games where they can often be too lethargic.
Without a doubt, Wilshere is one of the best ball carriers in the Arsenal squad and England setup but perhaps a slight tweak in his playing style, such as releasing the ball slightly earlier or using his body more to protect the ball, could reduce the amount of injuries he suffers and see him shine in both teams.
Passion Wilshere brings
Last but certainly not least, Wilshere's passion on the pitch can forgotten or substituted. His passion for the game is what makes him so admirable to Arsenal fans. Going even further whenever Arsenal collectively play badly and lose, that 5-1 defeat at Anfield springs to mind, there's always just one stand out performer. If on the pitch, it's often Wilshere because even if things are tough for the players on the pitch, Wilshere's effort can never be not appreciated, which shows real leadership from him.
Rotation
Arsenal's midfield is heavily filled with talented players. In recent years Arsene Wenger has never really been faced with the selection dillemas he has now, as the squad finally has quality and depth. With Francis Coquelin having a breakthrough season, Santi Cazorla experiencing arguably his best season in an Arsenal shirt,in a deeper role in the midfield, Aaron Ramsey being a proven goalscorer from the middle of the park and Mesut Ozil steadily getting to terms with English football, Wilshere wouldn't have been guaranteed to start in Arsenal's side. Despite this, Wilshere could have proven to be a very good rotation option or impact player off the bench.
Many football fans forget that Jack Wilshere is only 23, henceforth he still has another 10-years left in the game, if his injuries permit him. There's no lying when saying Wilshere is certainly one of the most talented young midfielder England have had for a long while, and is one of very few players to graduate from a team's youth academy and play in the first team of that club.
Arsene Wenger has a tremendous amount of faith in Wilshere and so does Roy Hodgson, so every single England or Arsenal fan should too. Hopefully Wilshere will be back in a months time, even more determined to stay fit and have a positive impact in games for the good of the team.