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Give Welbeck credit he deserves, says Wilshere

Jack Wilshere has welcomed international team-mate Jack Wilshere to Arsenal © Getty Images

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Jack Wilshere has called for Danny Welbeck to be given the credit he deserves as he backed his new Arsenal team-mate to have a successful season for club and country.

Welbeck joined Arsenal on Monday in a shock £16 million move from Manchester United.

With Olivier Giroud out for three months because of an ankle injury, Welbeck is likely to be thrown straight into Arsenal's first-team and he may now start in England's Euro 2016 qualifier in Switzerland on Monday after Daniel Sturridge suffered an injury in training.

''He is a great addition for Arsenal and hopefully he will keep performing for England as well,'' Wilshere said. ''He has got great enthusiasm, he wants to run, he will track back, and he has got great quality.

''A lot of people don't give him credit for his technical ability, but he is great on the ball. I am sure there were a few clubs wanting him and there are not many players his age who move from one big club to another big club so that shows his quality.''

Welbeck could start on Monday after Sturridge was ruled out with a thigh strain, which he picked up in training on Friday.

An injury to a key striker is a headache manager Roy Hodgson could do without after England looked poor in front of goal as they laboured to a 1-0 victory over Norway on Wednesday.

Just 40,181 people turned up to watch the win over Norway but Wilshere thinks England can start to win the fans back by beating the Swiss in Basle on Monday night.

''Going over to Switzerland is a tough game but we know if we put in the performance and get the result the fans are going to come back on our side,'' said Wilshere, who thinks the negative reaction to England's winless World Cup campaign has been over the top.

''If people analysed it a bit more they would have been a bit kinder, there were just a few individual errors and a few lapses in concentration - but at that level that is what you are going to get.

''When you are playing against (Mario) Balotelli and (Luis) Suarez that is what you are going to get, they are going to punish you and they did. But if you look at the games, we had more positives than people give us credit for.''

Wilshere only started one game at the World Cup - against Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte - but with Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard now retired, he is one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Injury has hindered the 21-cap midfielder, but he says he is now almost back to peak fitness.

"It is a big season for me, I have never hidden away from that," Wilshere said. "I have had a good pre-season for the first time in a few years, I have trained every session, played in all but one of the games. I feel good, I am getting stronger and stronger, I am getting near to where I want to be.''

Wilshere knows he and Jordan Henderson, who wore the No.4 shirt vacated by Gerrard on Wednesday, have big shoes to fill.

"Obviously it's disappointing when Steven and Frank retired," Wilshere added. "They were massive players for England, over the last 10 years they were great ambassadors and that is the level we have got to get to."

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