England and Chelsea captain John Terry praises Zola-esque Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere
John Terry, the Chelsea and England captain, urged the national side to take care of 19-year-old Arsenal attacking midfielder Jack Wilshere.
Wilshere was recently dropped from the England under-21 squad because of the possibility of fatigue but has been picked by England boss Fabio Capello to start in the 2012 Euro qualifier.
England host Switzerland at Wembley today and Wilshere is set to the match, according to reports.
The England defender insisted the talented youngster had to be protected to make sure he didn’t over exert or pick up an injury.
Terry said while speaking to reporters:
“I see him now as a huge part of our senior set-up. What's happened is unfortunate for the Under-21s, but we need to nurture and look after him.
He's been different class for us in the last couple of games. I see him as a major part of our set-up here. If we're looking to the Euros next year, he has to be looked after.”
The England centre back admitted he understood Wilshere’s frustration at having to miss out on the under-21 European Championship.
However, he was certain the 19-year-old would be pleased to be picked to represent the senior squad in the European competition.
Terry revealed he felt that the Arsenal player would go on to play an important role for the England national team in the UEFA European Football Championship, assuming that they qualify for the competition.
According to the Blues captain, Wilshere was similar to a younger Gianfranco Zola, the Chelsea legend, and with the right development could go on to be as good as the Italian.
The Arsenal youngster’s style of play is apparently is like Zola, especially his passing, pace and the knack of cutting the opposition.
Terry admitted he had observed Wilshere during Arsenal’s clash against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League and was highly impressed with what he saw.
He revealed he was impressed with Wilshere’s growing confidence and was certain it was only a matter of time before the midfielder secured a place in the starting line-up for the national side.
Wilshere has managed to do so for club, making a total of 64 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 3 goals and providing 11 assists in over three seasons.
Considering the fact that he is only 19 years old, that is indeed very impressive, the England and Chelsea skipper continued:
“He shows a huge amount of confidence for someone so young - his ability speaks for itself. For him to play in the Arsenal side at such a young age goes to show what Arsene Wenger thinks about him.”