Jack Wilshere rolled the years back on Thursday night.
He played like he did that night against Barcelona in 2011 in the Champions League, except it was against Bate Borisov in the Europa League. But after the past couple of years, where injuries and fitness issues stunted his progress, Wilshere can be very happy with his performance against the Belarusian side.
The midfielder was integral to the Gunners' 4-2 victory, putting in an excellent performance and looking like the midfielder many hoped he would be before the injuries took their toll. Wilshere was flawless in the first-half, helping Arsenal to a 3-1 lead the break.
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The 25-year-old set-up the opening goal of the night, crossing for Theo Walcott after some intricate build-up play with Olivier Giroud on the edge of Bate's penalty area.
https://twitter.com/Argsenal/status/913452203997827072
Wilshere pulled the strings for Arsenal throughout, running the show from the first whistle to the last. It really was an impressive performance. If you sat down to watch the match, and knew nothing about the midfielder, you would be dumbfounded to find out he spent last season on-loan at Bournemouth, that he went three years without completing 90 minutes for Arsenal, and had no clubs interested in him during the summer.
Arsenal fans were blown away by his performance, with some comparing him to one of the greatest footballers of all-time. With his number 10 shirt, silky skills and shaven head, many felt Wilshere resembled Zinedine Zidane, the Real Madrid manager who won the world player of the year award on three occasions.
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In England's last game, a 2-1 win over Slovakia at Wembley, Gareth Southgate started Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson in midfield. Wilshere, at his best, is better than both and more talented. However, performances like that against Bate have been all too rare in recent seasons. He'll be just hoping to stay injury-free and continue impressing when given a chance by Wenger.
Wilshere would also say he's been emulating Zidane for years.
https://twitter.com/JackWilshere/status/386099234250194944
