West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere has praised the recent upturn in form from Ross Barkley at Chelsea and believes his compatriot’s determination can act as a stepping stone for him to make the push to the national side. Wilshere had a decent season with former club Arsenal where he was pretty much a regular but he still had to face the headache of being excluded from Gareth Southgate’s squad.

He thereafter made the decision to move on from the Gunners after his contract expired but his time with the Hammers has not gone as planned after picking up an ankle injury in September. Nonetheless, he is currently close to regaining his fitness and speaking to The Sun, the midfielder highlighted the ambition of earning a national team call-up after watching compatriot and close friend Barkley do so.
He said:“It all comes down to having trust in your own ability. People can say what they want. Ross is the perfect example. I’m so happy for him. He’s a good friend of mine and we were together at the World Cup in Brazil.He has always been a great player and sometimes it takes time for players to find their feet. Obviously, he moved clubs and you can also pick up a few injuries.

““But then it all comes down to him, his inner belief and, at the end of the day“, his football ability has done the talking.I’ve always been confident and believed in myself. That is important in football because you can go through tough times. But if you “always believe in yourself“, you let your football do the talking.”

Wilshere is currently short of match fitness to start the Premier League clash against Manchester City but there remains the outside chance of him featuring from the bench. West Ham have made a rather average start to the season with just 12 points from as many matches but manager Manuel Pellegrini will be hoping to turn the club’s fortunes around during the festive schedule ahead.