Arsenal's Jack Wilshere thanks Arsene Wenger for keeping World Cup dream alive

• Wilshere was injured playing for England against Denmark in March
  
• Jack given No 7 shirt after Rooney, Gerrard and Lampard had first pick
• Midfielder feared his World Cup dream was over
  
• Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger helped Wilshere return to fitness 

By Neil Ashton for the Daily Mail

Published: 16:49 EST, 28 May 2014 | Updated: 04:27 EST, 30 May 2014

There was a time, in the weeks that  followed Daniel Agger's crunching tackle on Jack Wilshere at Wembley in March, when the Arsenal midfielder got really worried.

He had broken a bone in his foot and England head coach Roy Hodgson was just weeks away from announcing his squad for this  summer's World Cup in Brazil. The clock was ticking.

'Unfortunately I have been in that position a lot,' admitted Wilshere, reflecting on his bad break during England v Denmark, as he rested between Tuesday's double training session at St George's Park. 

It was then that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger came to his rescue, telling him to relax, be patient and he would go to the World Cup.

'I spoke to him because I came back into training and I was panicking a bit about the squad,' revealed Wilshere. 'I wanted to be in it. I went to him and said, “I think I'm ready”, and he said, “No, you're not, you need to train if you are going to have a good World Cup”.

I knew I would be fit, but it was just down to whether the manager thought I was ready and whether I felt ready myself as well.

'I knew as well that a bone would take six weeks (to heal). I thought I would be here, but it is down to the manager and I have to thank him for that.'

So it was Wenger, a Frenchman who has no specific responsibility for the welfare of the national team, who saved Wilshere's World Cup dream. It is quite a gesture by  Arsenal's manager.

Wilshere returned to the Arsenal side towards the end of the season, coming off the bench to play a part in their remarkable comeback in the FA Cup final against Hull.

'It's nice to get the first one (medal),' he admitted. As a kid growing up in Stevenage he visualised another trophy, one with even more significance than the FA Cup. 

'When I was a youngster...you want to be part of that, you can only imagine what it would mean to the fans back home if we won the World Cup. That's what we will try to do. Hopefully we can create something special. I have thought about it, especially after winning the FA Cup, you saw what that meant to the Arsenal fans.'

Wilshere's eyes light up when he recalls watching his first World Cup in 1998 — 'Owen's goal... Batty's penalty' — when England went out to Argentina in a shootout.

He laughs when he is told that Luke Shaw cannot quite recall whether 2006 or 2010 was the first World Cup he watched. 'Didn't they have a TV?' he jokes.

In a couple of weeks, when the England circus arrives en masse in Brazil, a nation will watch them try to progress through the group phase. 

'The young players are not used to being disappointed coming home from a World Cup so we don't know what to expect,' he added. 'We're just going over there wanting to do well. We also have the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, who have been there three or four times.'

Gerrard and Lampard are the main men around the squad, two players with senior status and the privileges that go with it. Wilshere was sitting on a sun lounger at England's training camp in Portugal last week when his phone alerted him to a text message.

'I didn't ask for it, but a text came through saying I was No 7 (he wears 10 for Arsenal). 'I'll have to get new boots with my number - Rooney wants 10, Gerrard four, Lampard eight. The senior players pick the numbers and we get the rest. So I have No 7. Bryan Robson, David Beckham wore it, so it is nice to get that number. Beckham was my hero growing up as well so it is quite nice.'

This summer it will be the turn of the new breed to make an impact as England prepare to play Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica in their opening three group games.

Wilshere has only won 15 caps because of his recurring injury problems, but Hodgson remains a huge fan of the midfielder's technical ability.While he prefers to play in 4-2-3-1, 'as we do at Arsenal', Wilshere is realistic enough to know that he is simply fighting for a place in England's midfield with Jordan Henderson and Ross Barkley.

England's head coach is demanding that little bit more from his players now, pushing them as they prepare for Friday's friendly with Peru at Wembley.

'He can lose it (with the players) a little bit, but if someone isn't doing it he has every right to do that,' he added.

There will also come a time when the team prepare for the possibility of a penalty shootout and Wilshere will be one of the first to put up his hand.

'I read that the boss (Wenger) said I'm not a penalty taker. Cheers boss! It's strange actually because we did penalties before and I scored mine. Maybe he just thinks English people can't take penalties. But we have some good penalty takers here. Rickie Lambert is great at penalties, Gerrard is great at penalties.

'I took one at Bradford away in the Carling Cup. I know that is a bit different to playing in Brazil at a World Cup, but I scored and I'd be happy to take one.'