They say that there is no such thing as bad publicity and so perhaps the Arsenal and England star Jack Wilshere should just be glad that he is being talked about. At least he has not been forgotten and this is further evidence that the young midfielder is still being seen as one of the best hopes for the future of his club and country.
But we know that he has had his off field issues with photos of him smoking and partying, as well as the constant injury problems that have hampered his progress on the pitch, and it is this part of his life that the celebrity Man City fan Noel Gallagher picked up on, as revealed in a report by The Mirror.
The Oasis star said, “You think of the great midfielders in the game now, like [David] Silva and the Barcelona players – they’re athletes. They don’t smoke and drink.
“This lad has been caught twice. That’s what sets him apart and what links him to Gazza.
“That catches up with you in the end. If you are smoking and drinking you are not an athlete.
“The great players in the league dedicate themselves to be the best, and smoking and drinking isn’t going to cut it.”
The Arsenal manager has recently been full of praise for Wilshere though, talking about his hard work and dedication and suggesting that an injury free spell is all the talented player needs to prove his doubters wrong. But we would expect Arsene Wenger to back up his player.
What not many people would have expected is for the Bayern Munich and Germany international star Mario Gotze to pick Jack in his perfect five-a-side team, as reported by Metro. Having described Wilshere as the perfect player, the man who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final chose Wilshere over the likes of Messi, Ronaldo and his German team mates like Mesut Ozil.
So which of these vastly different opinions of the Arsenal star is closer to the mark?