Jack Wilshere demands to play in central role at Arsenal

With Jack Wilshere's Arsenal future already under discussion in some quarters, the midfielder has given the gossipmongers even more to talk about. Rumour has it that the footballer has made a thinly-veiled complaint aimed at his manager Arsene Wenger, expressing dissatisfaction at being played out of position for the Gunners.

The England midfielder played 66 minutes of the game against Turkey on Sunday in a central midfield role and afterwards made it clear that he preferred to operate in that position.

"With Arsenal I've been playing out wide, which is not me," said Wilshere. "I'm not a wide man, but Roy seems to have faith in me in the middle, so I'm happy with that. I like to play anywhere in the middle.

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"I've worked with Roy now and his staff for a number of years and they know what I bring and I know what they want from me as well."

Wilshere's comments could be construed as a "criticism" of Wenger, says The Times, or "a nudge" in the general direction, says The Guardian. But the Daily Telegraph sees his words as "a clear message that he does not want to be pushed out wide for club or country".

And quite where that leaves his relationship with Arsenal is unclear. "Incredibly, Wilshere has not completed 90 minutes of a competitive game for Arsenal in the centre of midfield since 2014," explains the Telegraph, which adds that the arrival of new £30m signing Granit Xhaka from Borussia Monchengladbach will provide even more competition for places in the middle.

"Wenger has refused to deploy Wilshere in the holding midfield position in which he has previously impressed for England," says the paper. "Negotiations over a new Arsenal contract will no doubt involve detailed discussions on what Wilshere's role will be and his eagerness to sign a deal may well depend on whether or not he is told what he wants to hear."