Arsene Wenger believes Jack Wilshere has demonstrated “special character” to bounce back from several career-threatening injuries.
Wilshere was outstanding for Arsenal in Thursday’s 3-2 win at Crystal Palace and Wenger said: “His performance deserves credit because it demands some character.
“I have big respect for that, because it is all nicey-nicey when you are super-talented and everybody says you are the greatest player at 17. But to come back to that level when you have gone through what he has gone through shows a special character.
“Did I fear his career was over? Never — because in my job what is a very important quality is always to continue to believe in human beings.
“I believe everybody is alive to fight, so I never gave up on him.”
“Give him credit for what he has gone through.”
Wenger feels Wilshere, who has had a career fragmented by injuries since he made the breakthrough as a teenager, should not give up on England.
“I don’t think Gareth Southgate ignores him,” he said. “But certainly we think about his situation when he gives performances like that.
“He has improved tactically and defensively.
“Jack has a great quality – when he gets the ball he gets you out of pressure because he has that little burst and then, suddenly, he can open up the game for you.”
Wenger takes his men to the Hawthorns on Sunday to face rock-bottom West Brom with the futures of striker Alexis Sanchez, World Cup winner Mesut Ozil and Wilshere still unresolved.
All three are able to sign pre-contracts with clubs outside England on Monday — and he is clearly now finding the constant barrage of questions about Sanchez tiresome.
The striker scored twice at Palace on Thursday night, and Wenger said: “When he plays, it is a problem. When is it not a problem? It is unbelievable.
“Other people want it to be a problem but you judge a player on whether he has played well or not and you want to comment on it after that.
“I am not a psychologist to know what is in his head – if he is short term or long term. You turn up to play football – that’s it. After you judge did he play well or not.”
And Wenger knows he is now powerless to prevent his three contract rebels from quitting the Emirates.
He said: “ They are free to go where they want from tomorrow, to foreign clubs, but that is not my problem. My problem is to win the game at West Bromwich.”
Wenger has now been in charge for a remarkable 810 matches since joining Arsenal and he said: “I think first of all I am lucky to be at a club who have trusted me for such a long time.
“Overall, I must say I have worked very hard and I worked every day of my life. Maybe people underestimate a little bit the work that is behind that.
“We live in a society that is more demanding and has more opinions and knows better than you always.”