Wilshere coping with England pressure

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has welcomed the pressure that comes with being hailed as a key member of the England team.

Wilshere, currently on the sidelines due to a foot injury sustained on international duty in March, is expected to be fully fit for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

While his absence has hampered Arsenal in the race for the Premier League title, Wilshere is likely to play an integral role in Roy Hodgson’s midfield on the biggest stage of all.

Going into his first World Cup, the 22-year-old claims the hype over his impact at international level can be used as a positive.

“It’s brought pressure on me. I’m not sure it’s unwanted pressure,” he told RWDmag.com.

“I think when you play at the highest level, there is pressure all the time.”

Wilshere also believes England should stick to their style of play in Brazil, having previously stated he did not want to see them trying to emulate Spain’s passing style.

The Arsenal man said last year that England had the image of being a national side who were “brave” and “tackle hard”.

Wilshere added he was not averse to a more possession-based approach if it brings success, but said England should concentrate on imposing their own style on other teams.

“Just because we don’t play like Spain doesn’t mean we haven’t got a high level of technical ability. We’re changing our game all the time and we want to adapt it to a level where we are going to be able to win things at an international level,” he continued.

“If that requires passing it around a bit more, then we’ll do it. But at the moment, we’re doing all right. We’ve got to the World Cup, so we’ll stick to our guns for the moment.”