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Wilshere: Arnie among the very best I’ve played with

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West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere has been left raving over the talents of new teammate Marko Arnautovic as he compares him to icons of the Premier League as well as World Cup winners.

The former Arsenal man moved across London on a free transfer this summer to link up with the Austrian giant, who has established himself as a firm favourite among the Hammers faithful following his move from Stoke City.

Speaking about the Irons winger-turned-striker, Wilshere insisted that he is as good as he has played with, having featured in teams including World Cup winners Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski, as well as Premier League icons like Robin Van Persie and Wayne Rooney.

He told the Mirror: “Arnautovic is some player. I’ve played with some strikers, great players. He is up there. He is right up there.

“Ability-wise, he’s powerful, got so much in his game. His attitude is brilliant. He’s a good character and is one of the leaders in the team as well. Before I went to West Ham I didn’t know know with him, but he’s been great from day one.”

Opinion

This is absolutely huge praise from Wilshere when you consider who he has played alongside while at Arsenal, although he could well have been forgetting a couple of names which might push Arnie down a couple of pegs in the pecking order. To be fair to the Austrian, he has been nothing short of brilliant for the Hammers after moving to his centre forward role, and he is showing more and more talent in his new position every week. He has the ability to use his raw power and pace to scare defenders to death but he is beginning to show an understanding on how to bring other players into the game and lead the line effectively, and it is that learning which has helped the Hammers turn around their dreadful start and clamber their way away from the drop zone. There will still be questions over whether he can do it at a top side but as he approaches the age of 30, he will be knowing there is not long left to stay at the peak. 

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