Jack's jump in class
Friday, 25 March, 2011
Jack Wilshere's rapid progress has surprised Fabio Capello.
Fabio Capello has been hugely impressed by Jack Wilshere's improvement this season - and the England Manager will reward him with a start against Wales.
Wilshere has been a revelation for Arsenal this season and has already played 40 games for the north London club.
And Capello admits that Wilshere's rapid progression has come as a surprise to him.
"I can tell you that Wilshere will start tomorrow," Capello said. "He is one of the young players who has improved the most in a really short space of time.
"When he started he was a young player but when he played the first game with us he played 15 minutes at Wembley. Now he is playing like a player who has played a lot of games, like a player who is 28 or 29 years old.
"I saw the game he played against Barcelona, he was fantastic. It's not easy to find a player like him who plays without fear in a stadium like the Nou Camp.
"I also spoke with Arsene Wenger two days ago and he told me the same, it was a surprise for him about his improvement."
Another player in contention to face Wales is Liverpool striker Andy Carroll, who recently returned from a thigh injury.
When asked whether Carroll will feature at the Millennium Stadium, Capello said: "I have monitored him in the two games he has played [since returning].
"I went to Liverpool to see him personally. He needs more games to reach the same level that he played before he was injured. He is good, he is dangerous every time but he's not fit to play 90 minutes."