Wilshere called up for England Under-20s

According to reports this morning, midfielder Jack Wilshere has been included in the England Under-20 squad. This means that the 17-year-old could potentially miss the start of the Premiership season as he would be in contention for the Under-20 World Cup in Egypt next month.

Wilshere will be playing in a friendly against Montenegro next week. Manager Arsène Wenger had previously said that he thought that it was still early for Wilshere to be included in the senior squad for the national team, responding to suggestions that Wilshere play in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

But England manager Fabio Capello is already tempted by that possibility, saying: "[Jack Wilshere] plays without fear, with confidence. We have time to decide if he will go to South Africa. It depends a lot on Arsène Wenger."

The Arsenal manager is determined to wrap his young star in cotton wool, and says that the 17-year-old needs time to develop his game away from the prying eyes of the media.

Wenger explained that the hype surrounding Wilshere is similar to what happened to a certain Wayne Rooney [when he first burst on the scene as a youngster at Everton], and that both players have that positive attitude to always look forward and not be fazed by anything on the pitch.

And after impressing in the club's pre-season programme, the fans are hoping that Wilshere gets a more involved role in the squad this season. He said: "Jack reminds me a bit of Rooney when he started in his belief and his positive attitude to go forwards.

"For the rest, he has still a lot to learn, relations with other players team-wise, but there are some great basics there.

"But as a manager you do not want a guy to be a star before he has delivered, and maybe here that is more difficult than anywhere else."

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