West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini says that Jack Wilshere has the “same characteristics” as Andrea Pirlo.
Pellegrini has had a torrid time since returning to the Premier League. The former Manchester City manager has watched his West Ham side lose 4-0 to Liverpool in their opening game, followed by a 1-2 defeat in their first home game of the season by Bournemouth, despite taking the lead in their first home fixture of the season.
The season doesn’t get any easier for the Hammers as they face Arsenal in their next game, who are also without a win, but one man who will be relishing the meeting is Wilshere, who has a point to prove after leaving the Gunners in the summer.
Ahead of the game, Pellegrini has been talking up the midfielder, even comparing him to iconic Italian midfielder Pirlo, who won six Serie A Scudettos, two Champions League trophies and the World Cup with Italy before retiring in 2017.
“A lot of you will remember Juventus around four or five years ago, they played with one holding midfielder. It was Pirlo,” Pellegrini said, according to Goal.
“And Pirlo is the same as Jack. He has the same characteristics as Jack.”
Former West Ham and England manager Sam Allardyce didn’t share the Chilean’s assessment of the English midfielder, claiming that Wilshere and Mark Noble are too slow to play alongside each other in the middle of the park.
Responding to those claims, Pellegrini said: “That is his opinion. I know him and I respect him, and everyone has his opinion.
“I think that Jack Wilshere must play as Jack Wilshere. He is not a defensive midfielder to hold the line. He is a midfielder more comfortable when he comes out from our side and not receiving the ball back from the other goal.
“You must leave him to play alone, the play the moment, to receive the ball because he is going to make things happen.”
Pellegrini added: “I think everyone praised Jack Wilshere not just for one game because if he could play in a normal shape without injury, he was always a player who makes a difference because he is a different player.
“I am sure [we will see that Wilshere again] because he is just 26 years old. Because he knows better how he must manage his physical work, so as not to be injured. This season we are working with him from July 1, 40 to 50 days, and he’s not having any problems.
“He just has to recover his trust in what he can do. Maybe his career was not all his top [form], because he had a lot of injuries. So I think at this moment we must give him trust, let him play, because I repeat what I said: He is a different player and he will do it.”
West Ham are not expected to do well at the Emirates on Saturday and the east Londoners’ season gets even tougher after that. In their next four Premier League games, they face Wolves, Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United.
The post Jack Wilshere is the Premier League’s Pirlo, says West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini appeared first on Squawka News.
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