Source: Daily_Mail
Arsenal's Wilshere in the mix for World Cup selection, says Capello
Arsenal teenager Jack Wilshere is in line to be promoted to the England senior squad for the 2010 World Cup finals by Fabio Capello after the England manager spoke glowingly of the 17-year-old following his dazzling pre-season form.
Though Wilshere will be expected to work his way through the junior ranks, with Capello leaving him out of last night's squad for next week's friendly against Holland and requiring him to play in next month's Under-20 World Cup in Egypt, Capello holds out hope that the left-sided attacking player could be a wild-card selection for England in South Africa.
Capello's plan has echoes of Sven Goran Eriksson's shock inclusion of Wilshere's Arsenal teammate Theo Walcott's in the 2006 World Cup squad, although at that stage a 17-year-old Walcott had not even started a Premier League game.
Capello hopes Wilshere, 18 on New Year's Day, will play regularly for Arsenal this season and, if he does, he can expect to on the plane for South Africa, providing much-needed pace on the left for England.
Capello, who watched Wilshere in Arsenal's pre-season games in the Emirates Cup, said: 'He really surprised me. I saw him twice last year when he played in the Carling Cup and he has improved a lot now.
'He has a big personality. He is good with the ball. He plays without fear, with confidence. And also the other Arsenal players always passed the ball to him.
'This is not normal, to be so young and so good. We have time to decide on him. If we qualify for South Africa, we will have months to decide.
'It will depend a lot if he plays for Arsenal. But I think he will be in the next squad for the Under-20s and go with them to Egypt in the World Championships - and that will be important.'
Meanwhile, a former teenage England star, Michael Owen, has not been restored to Capello's squad despite his high-profile move to Manchester United.
Capello said: 'I watched Owen against Valencia last week and he played well.
'He missed a lot of chances to score goals but it's pre-season. He has to play well and score goals, no more than that. He has to be better than the same players I had in last season.'
