Soccer: Samir Nasri has no doubt Arsenal team-mate Jack Wilshere is heading for the very top. The pair could be in direct opposition on Wednesday when England host fellow World Cup flops France in a friendly at Wembley.
Turmoil in South Africa sent both countries into a period of introspection and led to a rebuilding programme that has seen a number of new faces introduced by respective coaches Fabio Capello and Laurent Blanc.
One of them is Wilshere, the 18-year-old Nasri knows so well. They may have only been sharing a dressing room together frequently for the past four months given it took a loan spell at Bolton last term to really propel Wilshere towards the Gunners’ first team on a regular basis.
But Nasri has been aware of his quality for far longer than that.
“I am not surprised at all by the progress Jack has made,” said Nasri. “He had already shown signs in training about what a talented player he was. Like any young player, he needed to be given the opportunity to play.
“Not all players can get a chance to play at the biggest clubs and Jack’s time at Bolton helped him to progress.”
After benefiting from Wilshere’s talents on the Premier League stage, Nasri must try and stop them at international level. He accepts it might not be easy.
“Jack is only 18 but he is already getting a regular slot at Arsenal,” said the former Marseille star. “He has already shown he has the quality and technical ability. What he needs to do now is continue his progress without any fear of what is to come.
“The signs are good. He knows how important it is to go forward and play with a positive mindset. I like playing with him because he has so much technical ability and such great skill.”
No matter what the outcome at Wembley tomorrow — and Nasri has an outside chance of captaining Les Bleus, such are Blanc’s injury concerns — the midfielders will be united in their desire for victory in Saturday’s north London derby.
After a weekend of results that went well for Arsenal, Nasri and his team-mates now find themselves just two points adrift of leaders Chelsea despite losing home games against West Brom and Newcastle already this term.
“It was an excellent weekend for us,” said Nasri. “Chelsea and Liverpool lost, Manchester United and Manchester City drew. It leaves us in a good position, just behind Chelsea, which is quite exciting for us and the league as a whole.
“Having done so well, now we must look ahead to what will be a very difficult game on Saturday. We will have to fight hard to get the result but I feel our reputation is restored and we can do well.”