Will Jack Wilshere Ever Be Able to Emulate Pirlo or Mascherano?

Whenever Jack Wilshere is mentioned, everyone quickly remembers that performance against Barcelona. But since then, Wilshere's career has gone off track a little bit. Regular injuries and a laid-back attitude has certainly stopped him from becoming the midfielder he promised to be at the tender age of 18. Recently, Wilshere publicly said that he aspires to be like Italian midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo and Barcelona's Javier Mascherano, but will he ever be able to reach their level?

Will Jack Wilshere fulfill his potential?

For me, Pirlo and Mascherano are two of the best midfielders in the world. Certainly Mascherano is underrated, but we all saw just how good he is playing in the defensive midfield role in the world cup, playing a major part in leading Argentina all the way to the finals. Pirlo, on the other hand, is simply a maestro. Everything he does with the ball seems to ooze class, whether it be long or short passes or free kicks .

Wilshere, on the other hand, is a decent midfielder, but not someone who I can categorize as one of the best young midfield prospects around, and he can certainly not be named among the best midfielders of today. Is he anywhere near the level of Paul Pogba? Probably not. But does that mean he will never be able to reach the elite level? Definitely not.

A couple of years ago, I would've agreed that Wilshere seemed like the most promising young mifielders around. Fast forward a few years, in which he really should've been gaining an even bigger reputation, and he's not even Arsenal's best midfielder anymore. This is not entirely his fault. Wilshere suffered a lot of injuries after that match against Barcelona, and injuries at a young age have often caused the downfall of some of the most exciting young midfielders of our time. Jermaine Jenas, David Bentley, Tom Cleverley are just a few name that spring to mind.

Despite the injuries he suffered, Wilshere always vowed to fight for a place and never abandoned Arsenal. Today, he still is a young and talented midfielder, with a never say die attitude and unquestionable loyalty, traits which can seldom be found in others. Wilshere will really need to work hard, instead of partying, and stay fit in order to challenge Aaron Ramsey for his starting spot, and also secure his spot in England's team.