Wonderkid Wilshere wins pro contract
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Variously described as ‘the new Dennis Bergkamp’ and ‘the new Liam Brady’, Jack Wilshere now has the chance to follow in the footsteps of those Arsenal legends after signing his first professional contract with the club.
Wilshere is the youngest ever player to represent the club in both the league and Europe and, after turning 17 on New Year’s Day, has now been rewarded for his rapid progress to Arsene Wenger’s first team with a formal deal at Emirates Stadium.
The England youth international was marked out as a youth team player of some promise last season but his development in the past six months has been remarkable.
After featuring in the club’s pre-season campaign, including games against Real Madrid and Juventus in the Emirates Cup, Wilshere was handed the number 19 shirt vacated by Gilberto Silva and promoted to the senior squad under Wenger.
His Premier League debut came against Blackburn Rovers in September at the age of 16 years and 256 days and his first appearance in the Champions League came on November 25 in a home game against Dynamo Kiev.
His most vivid impact has been reserved for the Carling Cup though and the midfield playmaker excelled in a 6-0 win over Sheffield United at Emirates Stadium, scoring his first goal for the club, before then setting up Jay Simpson’s first goal in a memorable 3-0 win over Wigan Athletic.
A defeat to Burnley in the following round was a rare low for the Hitchin-born starlet but he is a frequent presence on Wenger’s bench and made his seventh senior appearance in Saturday’s FA Cup victory over Plymouth.