The Arsenal midfielder’s display in Slovenia should help him make a midfield berth in the England side his own if he can finally stay clear of injuries

As Jack Wilshere reflected on his most illuminating performance in England’s colours, the midfielder dropped into the conversation that on the flight into Joze Pucnik airport he had watched the new film about Paul Gascoigne’s life and realised they had a few things in common.

“It did inspire me,” Wilshere said. “You could tell by the way he played for England that he didn’t feel any fear. He was over that. Sometimes when people play for their country I think there is that little bit of fear and pressure. But he just wanted to go out there. He felt at his best when he was playing, with the ball at his feet, and I sometimes feel that way.”

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Wilshere had not been born when Gascoigne’s tears came to symbolise an entire World Cup in 1990 but it was a lesson to him that, away from all the headlines, the traumas and crises, when everything was stripped down this was “the best footballer England had”. He also said he would like to meet Gascoigne and, before anyone starts rolling their eyes in anticipation of what comes next, it should be pointed out there was no talk – and no questions – about England maybe having a new Gazza now.

What we did see in Ljubljana, though, was a performance to strengthen the view that Wilshere is coming into his own for England and all that rich potential can fully flower providing he does not succumb again to the injury issues that have disrupted his career. Wilshere’s goals told only part of the story and, after some initial scepticism, it is only fair to say Roy Hodgson appears to have made a wise move asking the midfielder to modify his role slightly and operate from a deep-lying starting position.

The position tends to be known as a holding role yet that description does not fully apply to Wilshere’s interpretation and the two firecrackers he sent into the top corner of Slovenia’s goal in England’s 3-2 win provided compelling evidence that a player with his gifts does not have to be restricted to one job.

Wilshere’s analysis also felt encouraging from the sense he has clearly studied the role and applied a lot of thought to it. For the most part, he said, it was about anticipation and positional sense. He had twin responsibilities to orchestrate play and shield the defence but he also had a licence to roam forward at the appropriate times, as long as it was always in his mind not to be caught too far upfield in case the opposition broke.

“A big part of the role is that when we’re attacking, I’m backing up play,” Wilshere said. “You’re not defending at that stage, but you are trying to stop the counterattack if it happens. You’re basically trying to read the position where the ball will drop. You can go to the edge of the box and the ball might drop to you. But it’s the balance that’s important. Sometimes you have to shield and sometimes you have to press.”

Paul Scholes performed a similar job in his later years, albeit curtailing his attacking instincts more, and Wilshere has grown accustomed to the comparisons with the former England and Manchester United midfielder. Yet Hodgson, for one, cannot see a great deal that the two have in common, apart from their finesse on the ball and the fact they are roughly the same height.

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“I was abroad when Paul Scholes was in his heyday but I remember him, of course, and I coached teams against him and they are different players,” Hodgson said. “Paul was a goalscorer from midfield and a long passer, the same as Steven Gerrard. Jack, on the other hand, has a unique game. He has that ability to receive balls on the turn, to twist and turn past players in the same movement. His vision could probably be compared to Paul but they are different.”

Hodgson does not generally like comparisons and is also reluctant sometimes to heap too much acclaim on one player. Here he took the slightly unusual step – certainly when the player in question is 23 – to ask the England press corps not to build up Wilshere in a way that might be unfair.

“I would like to hope that you don’t put that much pressure on him. I would like it if your attitude towards him was the same as mine. He’s been fantastic, to come back three times from serious ankle injuries, to take hold of games and control them with his quality, his passing, his movement, his dribbling ability. I think that is fantastic and I hope he continues in that vein. If we can bottle up what Jack has been doing that would do me nicely, but I don’t want to push any more demands his way.”

Equally, Wilshere had played with enough distinction to make it feel like England have a player, injuries permitting, who can excel in this role for many years.

“We have had it in the past,” Hodgson said. “In the England teams I always enjoyed watching we have had that type of player. We had Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard and it is normal when players of that quality retire it opens a little gap or opportunity for others to take over.”