The term 'meteoric rise' is reserved for those who come from nowhere to imprint themselves on the public's consciousness and Jack did exactly that - even surprising himself with the progress he made in such a short time.
He made his international debut in August and emerged as the poster boy for a new generation of English talent in the wake of a poor showing at the 2010 World Cup. Later that month the absence of Cesc Fabregas and Alex Song gave Jack the chance to start his first Premier League game for Arsenal - at Anfield on the opening day of the season.
That went well enough and the teenager simply went from strength to strength. He might have expected 20 to 25 appearances given Arsène Wenger's battery of midfield talent but Jack's quality and consistency made him undroppable. He wound up starting more first-team games than any other Arsenal player last term - not bad for a lad who was still learning his trade.
Wenger's decision to deploy Jack in a deeper midfield role helped him acclimatise to the pace of the
Premier League and before long he was dictating the tempo of Arsenal's forward play with his range of passing and ability to drift past opponents. Jack only scored twice - against Shakhtar and Aston Villa - but you sense that the goals will flow in time.
Jack's tenacity and loyalty - as well as his quality - made him an instant hit with the Arsenal fans and they crowned him their Player of the Season in May with 41.4 per cent of the votes cast in the Club's official poll.
The teenager has already achieved so much - but this is surely only the start of a long, illustrious career.
SOUNDBITE
“Before people would tell you that you have to do this and that when you are a pro but until you are actually there, experiencing it, you don’t realise what it means. You have to eat well, prepare well, rest well – it’s a 24/7 job – it’s not just about training and playing the games. Everything away from that is so important too. If you are not ready for every game then a top class player will take advantage of it.”
JACK WILSHERE 2010/11 SEASON STATS
Competition Appearances Goals
League 31+4 1
FA Cup 1+1 0
Carling Cup 5 0
Champions League 7 1
Totals 44+5 2
FINEST MOMENT
Jack ended up on the losing side over two legs against Barcelona but no one impressed the Catalan giants more. He went toe-to-toe with Xavi and Andres Iniesta for 180 minutes, inspiring his team to a memorable first-leg win at the Emirates before putting in a huge shift in the Nou Camp. Europe sat up and took notice.
FINEST MOMENT
Jack ended up on the losing side over two legs against Barcelona but no one impressed the Catalan giants more. He went toe-to-toe with Xavi and Andres Iniesta for 180 minutes, inspiring his team to a memorable first-leg win at the Emirates before putting in a huge shift in the Nou Camp. Europe sat up and took notice.
