Arsene Wenger: Jack Wilshere's the ace in my Arsenal pack

ARSENE WENGER delivered a hands-off warning to Juventus last night as Jack Wilshere starts what could turn out to be a make-or-break season against Manchester City this afternoon.

Jack Wilshere chats to WengerJack Wilshere (right) and Arsene Wenger talk tactics in training[GETTY]

The Italian giants are expected to have scouts at Wembley to run the rule over the England midfielder, whose stop-start career has been dogged by injuries.

But it will be a wasted journey as far as Wenger is concerned.

Wilshere, Wenger believes, is on the brink of finally fulfilling his potential – with Arsenal.

His manager’s faith comes as Gunners legend Tony Adams slammed the midfielder for threatening to ruin his career.

Adams, who won four titles with the North London outfit, wants Wilshire to show “more hunger and professionalism”.

The centre-half said: “He has to be more verbal, shake things up and show more fire in his belly.”

Wenger has so far been patient with Wilshere. Now he is confident he is about to be repaid, starting today.

His manager says: “Until now Jack’s problems have been medical, but I think he is over it. It’s the first time he has not missed a session since the start of the preparations.”

That’s why Wenger is confident his 22-year-old former whiz kid will finally put all his problems behind him and provide a partnership with Aaron Ramsey that will help Arsenal mount a serious challenge for the title.

Jack Wilshere playing for ArsenalWilshere is ready for the new season and played for Arsenal in the Emirates Cup [GETTY]

Not winning a trophy was something everybody was worried about

Arsene Wenger

The Frenchman added: “If the two of them can work together at that level then we may have something.

“Until now Jack has been in and out with injuries. At the top level you have got to be consistent and I think he will be capable of doing it.

“He has no ankle problems any more and this could be his year.”

The same applies to Yaya Sanogo, the young French striker who surprised Wenger – and everyone else – with four great goals against Benfica last week.

Sanogo will play some part again in proceedings this afternoon and increase his challenge to fellow countryman Olivier Giroud for a starting berth alongside £33million new boy Alexis Sanchez against Crystal Palace next Saturday.

“He came here injured and didn’t play for two years,” Wenger said. “I took a gamble and spent six months picking him up.

“When he came back he was not completely there. But today, he is ready. And he could be a big surprise in our season.”

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The pairing is one of the main reasons why Wenger is approaching the new season with added confidence after waiting so long to put another trophy in the Gunners’ cabinet before last season’s FA Cup win.

“Not winning a trophy was something everybody was worried about," he said.

“But the real pressure was to keep the club financially capable and pay back the debt and for that we needed to be in the Champions League.

“That was the real pressure. If I write my book, I will explain one day why that was a real pressure.

“At the end of the day you need to go on the pitch, make a good pass and when you don’t, go and get the ball back.

“And on Sunday, we need to have the confidence to do it.”

In the meantime, Wenger is hoping the present euphoric bubble isn’t burst by the sort of World Cup backlash West Ham suffered from way back in 1966.

West Ham had their three players who won the World Cup then, but they finished 17th in the First Division as their players struggled to cope afterwards.

Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacher win the World CupMesut Ozil and Per Mertesacher (right) celebrate winning the World Cup for Germany [GETTY]

Arsenal now have three returning World Cup winners in Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski, all of whom have been given extra time off after their heroics with Germany and will not play today.

Wenger, who clearly remembers the problems Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit had after winning the World Cup with France in 1998, says: “It’s not easy in the post-World Cup year. Some of us will suffer.

“It was difficult for Vieira and Petit. They were super-heroes in France and then came back three weeks later to be told, ‘Come on, my friend, now we have to fight’.”

That’s why Wenger believes the World Cup should have been played earlier than it was.

He added: “FIFA says that you have to give four weeks’ holiday to the players and they organise the final for July 13.

“In France, they start this weekend. So if you want to give four weeks’ holiday to the players, they won’t even be playing when the championship starts.”

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