been a contributing factor in Wilshere’s career so far. He missed the entire 2011/12 campaign and, since then, has struggled with niggling problems that have threatened to beset his progress.

There has been criticism of his playing style, too, with some suggesting that he holds onto the ball for too long on occasion, leaving his side vulnerable to counter-attacks. With Aaron Ramsey thriving and Mesut Ozil hardly likely to relinquish his star status any time soon, Wilshere may well be faced with a difficult task in terms of reasserting himself in the Arsenal starting line-up.

Earlier this season he was often forced to play out wide so that he could fit into the team, but his best performances for the club, most memorably against Barcelona in 2011, have come whenhe has been deployed in a deep-lying midfield position.

When he first burst onto the scene as a 16 year old with some sensational performances for the Reserves and then during the first-team’s pre-season preparations in 2008, Wilshere appeared to be a player who possessed all the attributes to make it to the very top of the professional game.

Six years on he has not yet reached the lofty heights some may have envisaged, but the Hale End product has still achieved some notable accolades, representing the Arsenal first-team on over 130 occasions, whilst also being named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2011.

Ramsey, who joined Arsenal the same Summer that Wilshere was integrated into the first-team squad, has demonstrated that perceptions surrounding players, particularly those in their