Arsenal star Jack Wilshere hopes their Community Shield victory over Manchester City has laid down the gauntlet to their title rivals.

The Gunners claimed an easy 3-0 victory against the reigning Premier League champions at Wembley thanks to goals from Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud.

And while he concedes their triumph will not directly correlate to their domestic form, Wilshere hopes it will prove to the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Liverpool they are ready to battle for top spot in the table this season.

“We’ve just completed our pre-season and we’ve done it in style,” he told talkSPORT.

“We beat the champions of England [in the Community Shield] and I know it doesn’t mean we’re going to be champions [this season] but we’ve put down a marker and we’ve shown we’re ready [to challenge].”

And on his own place in the Arsenal team, Wilshere admits he is ready to work on the defensive side of his game so he can play a pivotal role under Arsene Wenger at the Emirates.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a defensive midfielder, of course I wouldn’t, because I like to go forward as well.

“I like to play the deeper role too, so I can do both, but I need to work on my defending. I’ve got to work on my game a little bit more.”