‘I will never say no to my country’ – Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere insists he will play for England Under 21s despite Arsene Wenger’s concerns

Jack Wilshere and Anthony Annan

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Jack Wilshere is determined to play for England at this summer’s European Under 21 Championship, despite opposition from his club manager Arsene Wenger.

The Arsenal midfielder was announced as part of Stuart Pearce’s 40-man provisional squad on Wednesday and has vowed he would never turn down the chance to represent his country.

“This summer, if I’m selected, I’ll play for the Under 21s,” he told Four-Four-Two magazine.

“It’s down to Arsene Wenger, Fabio Capello and Stuart Pearce, but I will never say no to my country.”

The England Under 21’s head coach ignored Wenger’s concerns that Wilshere should not feature in the summer tournament, amid fear the young star may suffer from exhaustion if not given a sufficient rest period before the start of the 2011-12 season.

The 19-year-old has already established himself in England’s senior team and has made 50 appearances this season for club and country.

Regardless of Wenger’s fears it is likely Wilshere will make Pearce’s final 23-man squad, to be announced on June 1, along with £35 million Liverpool front man Andy Carroll.

Despite an impressive 40-man provisional squad, who are currently ranked first in the Uefa European rankings, Pearce is unsure whether his current squad is as good as the team he took to the tournament’s final two years ago, which included the likes of Joe Hart, James Milner, Adam Johnson and Theo Walcott.

“I personally think the last squad that I took was extremely strong,” said Pearce.

“I’m not sure this squad is as strong as that.

“There are some great players who have been through the Under 21s and a mark of it probably is the fact that they’ve made that transition into the senior team.

“If we come back with the trophy, I’ll probably turn around and say I was wrong.”

Despite his doubts, Pearce insists he has future England stars in his ranks.

He added: “There is some real talent – Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Micah Richards – and hopefully they are going to go to a major tournament this summer and showcase their ability.

“That’s the best way to get into the senior team, with the manager looking on.

“He wants me to be successful as he realises it might be more players for him in the production line.”