By Mike Allen
25 Mar 2011 15:25:00
Jack Wilshere, England(Getty Images)
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Fabio Capello has confirmed that Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere will start in England‘s Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales.
Wilshere is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in English football after a series of fantastic performances this season and earned his first senior cap against Hungary in August 2010 before being handed his first start in the friendly match against Denmark in February at the age of just 19.
Wilshere spent the end of last season on-loan at Bolton and has gone on to make 42 appearances for Arsenal since his return, scoring twice and helping the team mount their strongest title challenge for years.
Capello admits he has been impressed with Wilshere’s development and believes that the midfielder plays with experience beyond his years.
He told reporters: “Wilshere will start tomorrow. He is one of the young players that improved more in a really short time.
“When he started he was a young player, an interesting player, when he played the first game with us he played 15 minutes in Wembley he was good but he was young.
“Now he is playing like a player that has played a lot of games, like a player of 28-29 years old.”
Capello revealed he has been suprised by how quickly Wilshere has progressed this season and points to Arsenal’s games against Barcelona as an example of the midfielder’s quality.
“The games he played against Barcelona he was fantastic,” he continued. “He played with personality and without fear and he’s a leader out on the pitch.
“It’s not easy to find a player like him who plays without fear in the Nou Camp.
“I spoke with Arsene Wenger two days ago and he told me the same and he was also surprised how well Wilshere has improved with his leadership.”
England will top the group if they win on Saturday and Capello will be hoping the Arsenal star will maintain his good form and help take all three points, but the coach knows that it will not be plain sailing against local rivals.
The Italian added: “I think that the derby is different to the other games that you play. I played in a derby as a player, in two different cities, and as a manager, in four different cities, and not always the best team won. It’s one really, really dangerous game tomorrow.”