Source: Telegraph
Jack Wilshere ready to take centre stage for Arsenal young guns
After two man-of-the-match displays in the pre-season Emirates Cup, Wilshere has been restricted to just 22 minutes from the substitutes' bench during this campaign but remains hopeful that this can be his breakthrough year. [LNB]Wenger regards Wilshere as physically stronger than last season and has even compared him to a young Wayne Rooney, but is also clearly mindful of generating too much expectation. [LNB] Related ArticlesSenderos to come in from coldDi Matteo's major challengeWenger research pays offArsenal 4 Wigan Athletic 0Premier League table'I believe last year he paid a little bit of a price physically for a very demanding start,' said Wenger. [LNB]'This year we feel that he is strong, more mature, and I'm sure that he will show that. It's difficult to treat them [major English prospects] completely the same because you want to speed up a little bit the progress, but physically I will still treat them like anybody else because most people once they get to 19 years of age - 19/20 without big injures - they are over used. A big injury can always happen because you get over use of the players. [LNB]'I believe you do not know what will happen throughout the season so for him the most objective target is to improve. There are some areas where he can improve and that is most important that you work on everything.' [LNB]As well as Wilshere, other such as Gilles Sunu, Sanchez Watt, Craig Eastmond and Kyle Bartley from last year's victorious FA Youth Cup-winning team should be involved tonight. [LNB]There will also be some more experienced players in defence, with Philippe Senderos and Mikael Silvestre likely to make their first starts of the season. [LNB]'We have four centre backs and Senderos is one of the four because [Johan] Djourou is out for nearly the season,' said Wenger. 'In this job you have always to be ready and the day you get the chance you can do well. If you are not ready,everybody will say he is not good enough for the level to play for Arsenal Football Club. Now he is back with us so we will just give him a chance. [LNB]'I don't believe he is starting his career again because we know how good he is, but it is a new start, let's say, because we have already seen his quality. He is still very young for a centre-back, he's 24-years-old and he has the future in front of him. The best 10 years are now coming for him. [LNB]"Philippe is an intelligent boy with a very good attitude and you don't ever question that.' [LNB]In West Brom, who are top of the Championship table, Wenger says that Arsenal are effectively playing a Premier League team. [LNB]'They just had a fantastic win at Middlesbrough, 5-0, that tells you that you face a very good side who is basically a Premier League side, that's why the challenge will be very high for us but we're up for it and we believe we can do it,' he said. [LNB]
