Arsenal's Jack Wilshere thanks Arsene Wenger for keeping World Cup dream alive as he picks No 7 shirt

There was a time, in the weeks that  followed Daniel Agger's crunching tackle on Jack Wilshere at Wembley in March, when the Arsenal midfielder got really worried.

He had broken a bone in his foot and England head coach Roy Hodgson was just weeks away from announcing his squad for this  summer's World Cup in Brazil. The clock was ticking.

'Unfortunately I have been in that position a lot,' admitted Wilshere, reflecting on his bad break during England v Denmark, as he rested between Tuesday's double training session at St George's Park. 

Eyes on the ball: Jack Wilshere is looking forward to his first World Cup

Club class: Wilshere says that Arsene Wenger helped him by telling him to relex

Come in No 7: Jack Wilshere has been given the iconic England shirt (left) worn by David Beckham and Bryan Robson after Wayne Rooney (top), Frank Lampard (middle) and Steven Gerrard (bottom) had first pick

It was then that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger came to his rescue, telling him to relax, be patient and he would go to the World Cup.

'I spoke to him because I came back into training and I was panicking a bit about the squad,' revealed Wilshere. 'I wanted to be in it. I went to him and said, “I think I'm ready”, and he said, “No, you're not, you need to train if you are going to have a good World Cup”.

 

Wilshere: I'm ready to make England proud at the World Cup.

I knew I would be fit, but it was just down to whether the manager thought I was ready and whether I felt ready myself as well.

'I knew as well that a bone would take six weeks (to heal). I thought I would be here, but it is down to the manager and I have to thank him for that.'

Feel the pain: Wilshere goes down under the challenge of Daniel Agger earlier in the season

End of the world: Wilshire lies in pain on the Wembley turf after the tackle

LONG LIST OF WILSHERE WORRIES

Jack Wilshere has a chequered history when it comes to injuries and has suffered in the past from sometimes playing too much, too soon. 
DECEMBER 2009
Wilshere injured his ankle in October and was out for five weeks before returning for the festive fixtures. He managed only three games before tweaking a hamstring and missing another month.
OCTOBER 2012
After missing the whole of the 2011-12 season with ankle and knee problems, Wilshere returned in October and made 28 appearances before injuring his ankle in March and sitting out another five weeks.
MAY 2014
Wilshere broke his foot playing for England in March and spent nine weeks on the sidelines. Despite missing key games against Chelsea and Man City, Arsene Wenger eased Wilshere back into the side — the midfielder made just two substitute appearances at the end of the season.
52.9% Since coming back from his loan spell at Bolton in 2010, Wilshere has only been able to play in just over half of Arsenal’s games.
454 Days that Wilshere spent out after injuring his ankle in 2011. He missed a total of 66 games for Arsenal.

So it was Wenger, a Frenchman who has no specific responsibility for the welfare of the national team, who saved Wilshere's World Cup dream. It is quite a gesture by  Arsenal's manager.

Wilshere returned to the Arsenal side towards the end of the season, coming off the bench to play a part in their remarkable comeback in the FA Cup final against Hull.

'It's nice to get the first one (medal),' he admitted. As a kid growing up in Stevenage he visualised another trophy, one with even more significance than the FA Cup. 

'When I was a youngster...you want to be part of that, you can only imagine what it would mean to the fans back home if we won the World Cup. That's what we will try to do. Hopefully we can create something special. I have thought about it, especially after winning the FA Cup, you saw what that meant to the Arsenal fans.'

Wilshere's eyes light up when he recalls watching his first World Cup in 1998 — 'Owen's goal... Batty's penalty' — when England went out to Argentina in a shootout.

He laughs when he is told that Luke Shaw cannot quite recall whether 2006 or 2010 was the first World Cup he watched. 'Didn't they have a TV?' he jokes.

In a couple of weeks, when the England circus arrives en masse in Brazil, a nation will watch them try to progress through the group phase.

Taking sides: Wilshere puts on his bib during England training

Heading to Brazil: Wilshere will be part the England squad hoping to do well at the World Cup

'The young players are not used to being disappointed coming home from a World Cup so we don't know what to expect,' he added. 'We're just going over there wanting to do well. We also have the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who have been there three or four times.'

 

Wenger and Wilshere thank fans and lift cup at FA Cup parade

Gerrard and Lampard are the main men around the squad, two players with senior status and the privileges that go with it. Wilshere was sitting on a sun lounger at England's training camp in Portugal last week when his phone alerted him to a text message.

Magic memories: Wilshere remembers Michael Owen's goal for England against Argentina

Sad times: David Batty missed a penalty in the shot out as England were knocked in 1998

'I didn't ask for it, but a text came through saying I was No 7 (he wears 10 for Arsenal). 'I'll have to get new boots with my number - Rooney wants 10, Gerrard four, Lampard eight. The senior players pick the numbers and we get the rest. So I have No 7. Bryan Robson, David Beckham wore it, so it is nice to get that number. Beckham was my hero growing up as well so it is quite nice.'

This summer it will be the turn of the new breed to make an impact as England prepare to play Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in their opening three group games.

Listening to the boss: Roy Hodgson speaks to Wilshere and the rest of the England squad

Wilshere has only won 15 caps because of his recurring injury problems, but Hodgson remains a huge fan of the midfielder's technical ability.While he prefers to play in 4-2-3-1, 'as we do at Arsenal', Wilshere is realistic enough to know that he is simply fighting for a place in England's midfield with Jordan Henderson and Ross Barkley.

England's head coach is demanding that little bit more from his players now, pushing them as they prepare for Friday's friendly with Peru at Wembley.

'He can lose it (with the players) a little bit, but if someone isn't doing it he has every right to do that,' he added.

There will also come a time when the team prepare for the possibility of a penalty shootout and Wilshere will be one of the first to put up his hand.

'I read that the boss (Wenger) said I'm not a penalty taker. Cheers boss! It's strange actually because we did penalties before and I scored mine. Maybe he just thinks English people can't take penalties. But we have some good penalty takers here. Rickie Lambert is great at penalties, Gerrard is great at penalties.

'I took one at Bradford away in the Carling Cup. I know that is a bit different to playing in Brazil at a World Cup, but I scored and I'd be happy to take one.'