The Chelsea midfielder scored the winner over Brazil on Wednesday night, but it was his younger team-mate whole stole the show as he pulled the strings at Wembley
England midfielder Frank Lampard believes Jack Wilshere has the ability to be a “massive” player for Three Lions and potentially one of the best in the world.
Lampard was speaking after bagging the winner in the Three Lions’ 2-1 friendly win over Brazil, just their fourth ever victory against the Selecao, with Wilshere starring at the heart of their midfield.
Wayne Rooney gave Roy Hodgson’s side a first half lead before Fluminense striker Fred equalised moments after coming on at half-time. But with Wilshere pulling the strings in midfield, the hosts looked in control for much of the second half and Lampard was very impressed.
Speaking to ITV, Lampard said: “I think [Wilshere is] a fantastic player, I’ve been saying that since he first broke through.
“His quality on the ball, his technical ability, his speed at getting away from people – I think he’s going to
be a massive player for England and in the world.”
On the day Ashley Cole picked up his 100th England cap, Lampard was making his 94th appearance and he admitted the win over Brazil ranked up there as one of his best nights for his country.
He continued: “[It ranks] very highly, it’s obviously very fresh. The lads who played 90 minutes deserve a lot of credit because they can’t half move the ball and they pop up in little holes behind you and there’s a lot of work rate today but we got a win.
“We’ve proved we can beat anyone on our day, and the important thing now is consistency and the group matches, because that’s where points come in and we have to get to Brazil.”
Although Lampard feels the win was one of the best results he has had in an England shirt, he was less certain about it being the team’s best performance of recent years.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I think we’ve played some very good games but probably against lesser opposition, when you play against these teams you have to work hard and be organised and I think we did it very well.
“I know they missed some chances but I think there were times when we broke on them with our speed and we could even have scored more.
“If we can continue with that attitude and get a bit more flow to our game then I think we can do very well. We can’t get carried away but it’s a long time since we’ve beaten them so it’s a lovely feeling.”