Jack Wilshere says he has already learnt some valuable lessons from watching two of the best midfielders in the world.
The England international recently revealed that he has been studying the approaches of Italy legend Andreas Pirlo and Argentina’s Javier Mascherano.
The 22-year-old aims to adapt his game accordingly and is confident it will make him a better, more rounded player.
"Mascherano’s defensive side of the game is something I’ve got to aspire to and look into a little bit more"
Jack Wilshere
“We all know what Pirlo can do. Everyone respects him and he gets a lot of praise, but Mascherano was fantastic in the World Cup final,” Wilshere said.
“It was 0-0 until extra-time against a strong German team and a lot of their players come from midfield - they haven’t really got a striker - and he dealt with them fantastically.
“I learnt that Mascherano’s defensive side of the game is something I’ve got to aspire to and look into a little bit more, [as well as] Pirlo’s use of the ball and the way he keeps it and brings other players into the game.
“He starts the attacks and he doesn’t get a lot of plaudits for that but if you look [closely] a lot of Italy’s goals start with him.”
Some believe that Wilshere may eventually become a defensive midfielder, but he says that decision ultimately lies with Arsene Wenger.
“It’s down to him at the end of the day,” he said. “He knows what I can do and he knows that I’m ready to play there.
“I played on the right wing last year, I played on the left wing and I played in the middle so I’ll play anywhere for this club and I think I could do a job in there as well.”
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