Although he is still only 19, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Jack Wilshere is destined to become the future of English football.
The midfielder has been an Arsenal regular for just one season but his impact has been immense. And it is quite reasonable to assume the national team could be built around him for the next decade or more.
Of course there are others who will probably join him as part of the next ‘golden’ generation. Young lads like Jack Rodwell, Andy Carroll, Connor Wickham, Kieran Gibbs, Kyle Walker, Chris Smalling and Tom Cleverly.
But there is something a bit special about Wilshere that makes him stand out from what is, contrary to what the doom merchants would have us believe, looking like a very promising group of youngsters.
Wilshere is quick, strong, tenacious and good at tackling. But he is also sublimely skilful on the ball, can spot an opening where others may miss it, and is capable of going past players in a manner that has more than a hint of young Gazza about it.
Unlike Paul Gascoigne, however, he has a mature head on his shoulders, and at times this season he has played like a seasoned professional, not a kid who still lives at home with his parents.
If he has one shortcoming to his game it is his shooting, which is not yet up to scratch. But his shooting, just like every other aspect of his performances, will improve with time, games and experience.
And it is that fact which makes the current club versus country row between Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and England under-21 boss Stuart Pearce all the more unfortunate.
Pearce has named Wilshere in his provisional squad for this summer’s under-21 championships in Denmark. He sees him as the perfect player to build the team around as they aim to go one better than last time when a Mesut Ozil-inspired Germany thrashed England 4-0 in the final.
However, Wenger, understandably, is not happy at the idea of his young star spending several weeks away playing football instead of sitting at home with his feet up, planning his first compulsory Premier League tattoo.
His argument, which is also understandable, is that now Wilshere has made his senior debut for his country, why put him back down with the kids?
“Why do you produce a youth system? It is to get them ready to be playing in the first team. Once they play in the first team, your job has been done, so you can promote other players,” Wenger said.
At face value he may have a good point there. Surely the whole idea of having different levels of football is to allow players to work their way up the ranks.
However, I feel Wenger is letting his personal preferences cloud his vision of the bigger picture. All managers have an instinctive desire to protect their own, but that is not always the best course of action.
Firstly, the simple truth is that England will have a better chance of winning the tournament with Wilshere in the side.
That may not be of any direct concern to the Arsenal manager, whose focus is understandably on the club he manages, not the national team of the country he lives in.
But a successful young England team will only serve to benefit Arsenal in the long run, creating a feel-good factor throughout the English game and, more importantly, adding value to their young English players.
Another factor that needs taking into consideration is that Wilshere’s involvement in this summer’s tournament will give him experience of a high-pressure, competitive tournament for the first time.
He will be up against some of the best young players on the continent, and facing them on the pitch is only going to help Wilshere develop his game and learn things about himself and his abilities.
A summer at home glued to his Playstation will certainly help recharge Wilshere’s batteries, but no matter how many games of Pro-Evolution Soccer he plays, it won’t exactly be as good as being there and doing it for real.
And let’s face it, at 19 it is not as if Wilshere isn’t capable of playing a bit of extra football over the summer.
It’ll be a maximum of five games here should England make it all the way to the final. I am sure Wilshere can cope with that. And the whole thing is over a good six weeks before the season starts, so it’s not as if he won’t have time to put his feet up, although he would possibly need to miss a bit of pre-season.
Don’t get me wrong, I can see Wenger’s point and I do sympathise with him to a certain extent. His primary care has to be Arsenal and, with the pressure on him to deliver trophies, he will want his players to hit the ground running when the season starts in August.
But I sincerely believe that, unless the incredibly unfortunate happens and Wilshere picks up a serious injury in Denmark, he will return a wiser man and a better player.
Finding the right balance between club and country is never an easy juggling act to perform. It is obvious the two camps will have different priorities and opinions.
But Wilshere himself has said he wants to go, and in doing so he will become a more rounded, experienced and complete footballer.
Yes, that will be of huge benefit to England. Absolutely. But you would have to be incredibly blinkered not to realise it will also be a very good thing for Arsenal too.
Decider time
Who would have thought a few weeks ago that today’s match between Manchester United and Chelsea would effectively be a title decider? Certainly not me.
But Arsenal’s stunning ability to come third in a two-horse race, combined with a wobbling United and a resolute Chelsea, mean it is exactly that.
So who is coming out on top?
Well, the momentum is with Chelsea, who have steadily closed the gap as they look to retain their title. But would you seriously bet against Manchester United getting at least a draw at home in such a crucial game?
Fascinating stuff, and far, far better than a season where everything is sown up with weeks to spare.
Final thoughts
For the most part, last week’s Champions League games were little more than foregone conclusions.
The teams playing the second legs at home both had the luxury of 2-0 leads from the first legs and the added breathing space of those away goals.
Indeed, it was Barcelona and Manchester United that ultimately triumphed; the former thanks to an ill-tempered draw with Real Madrid, the latter with a comprehensive stuffing of Schalke.
And that sets up an absolutely mouth-watering final at Wembley later this month. In one corner, a dazzling and inspired Spanish team capable of playing breathtaking football; in the other, a resolute and determined team from Manchester who lack their opponents’ flair but have an uncanny ability to get the job done.
People I have spoken to over the past few days have already written this game off as a victory Barcelona. They seem to feel that Pep Guardiola’s team just have too much talent, skill and finesse not to lift the trophy.
But I wouldn’t be so hasty. United’s second string were capable of putting four past Schalke last week, and that must have sent shivers down a few Spanish spines, considering Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Ryan Giggs and Javier Hernandez are all to come back into the starting line-up.
We shouldn’t forget that United have ‘home’ advantage for this one too. It’s not Old Trafford, but it is England, and players like Rooney and Ferdinand know the Wembley pitch well.
All in all, I think we have the makings of what could be a classic on our hands in three weeks’ time.
But I won’t predict a winner.
sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com