Arsenal star Jack Wilshere has backed his teammate Francis Coquelin to become a ‘complete’ midfielder in the future, reports the Daily Express.
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The pair have played with each other frequently through the Gunners’ youth system, and thinks he can offer even more than he currently does as a defensive midfielder. The 23-year-old has been a revelation in the position since coming back from a loan period at Charlton in December, even pushing Mathieu Flamini out of the role for the foreseeable future.
The England international said: “I’ve played with Francis in midfield since I was 15. I used to win him by saying, ‘Listen, you do all the dirty work and the tackling and then let me have the ball!’. But the thing is, he loves that side of it. But the thing is, he loves that side of it. He’s really good at it, he’s tenacious, the way he always goes after the ball. Not everyone has that ability to win the ball back and to be aggressive.
“I thought it was strange how he didn’t break through before because I’ve always felt that he could be the one to play in that position for us. I think there’s much more to come from him as well. He’s a great defensive midfielder, but going forward he was always a threat in the youth team. I think he can score goals too.”
The North London club have pushed in to the top three of the Premier League while the Frenchman has been in the side, with impressive wins coming away at Manchester City in the top flight and Manchester United in the FA Cup underlining this improvement. However, their disappointing defeat to AS Monaco will be something they have to improve on Wednesday. Arsene Wenger’s side need to score at least three goals to get through against the Ligue 1 side.