Newport County star Josh Sheehan has been left raving over the performance of West Ham midfielder Jack Wilshere in their League Cup showdown.
The 27-year-old stepped back into the side after being left out against Watford in the league and marked his return with a goal, his first strike in nearly 20 months.
Having ended up on the losing side in a 2-0 defeat, Sheehan was left in awe of the former Arsenal man’s display against the League Two outfit, heralding his ability to manipulate the ball and keep possession in the middle of the park.
Sheehan was quoted by the South Wales Argus as saying: “It was a great experience because, on his day, he’s one of the best players in the Premier League. He’s a top-quality player with the way he glides across the pitch.
“He plays in the Premier League week in and week out, he’s an England international, and you look up to players like him, and you could see he was at a different level.
“It’s tough (playing against him) because he’s a strong boy as well. When you get close to him, he’s that type of player that can glide past you without even touching the ball because he just lets it go across his body.”
Wilshere endured a nightmare first season with the Hammers, managing to play only eight games as injury curtailed his campaign significantly.
Opinion
It might have only been League Two opposition but it still takes something special for your rivals to be left applauding you at full time. Wilshere has been dreadfully unlucky with his injury problems over the years and so it is good to see him pushing on to get back to full fitness. As Sheehan says, the midfielder can be among the best in England’s top flight on his day – the problem is those days have been few and far between in recent years. He will probably never manage to live up to the incredibly high expectations placed on his shoulders early in his career but he can still establish himself as a top-quality midfielder if he can avoid injury for a significant period of time. That seems to be something easier said than done for the England international, but Sheehan seems to have faith he can return to his former heights.