Arsenal centre-back Per Mertesacker has admitted his delight to see Jack Wilshere back playing for the club, describing his performance in last night's 1-0 EFL Cup win over Doncaster Rovers as "vintage Jack".
After a lengthy spell out of the side due to injury and being out on loan, the 25-year-old made his first start for the club in 493 days at the Emirates last night, also playing the full 90 minutes for the first time in almost three years.
"It was very good to have him back," Mertesacker told reporters after the game. "You can see that he's getting more comfortable with his position now. He's brave now and he trusts his body. That's the most important thing, that he's capable of playing 90 minutes.
"He will just grow with that and he was vocal as well, which was important for us, especially at the end. He kept the ball well in tight situations and to come out of that is vintage Jack. That's what we want to see from him in the future here at Arsenal."
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger has also heaped praise upon Wilshere following his competitive return, describing him as "an Arsenal man".
Neil Wilkes
