Wenger rules out Rooney raid after Gunners romp

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger ruled out entering the race to sign Wayne Rooney after watching the Gunners turn on a dazzling display of goalscoring.

The Gunners swept aside Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 at the Emirates on Tuesday to go three points clear at the top of Group H and leave themselves within touching distance of the knockout rounds.

The rout means Arsenal have now racked up an incredible 14 goals in three games. And with an embarrassment of attacking riches either left on the substitutes bench or still to return from injury, Wenger said there was no chance of trying to lure want-a-away Manchester United striker Rooney.

“Look, it’s a story I will be happy to read in the newspapers but I want to keep out of it,” Wenger said. “That means we are not buying anybody.

“We have enough strikers. We had (Nicklas) Bendtner, (Theo) Walcott and (Andrei) Arshavin on the bench, and (Robin) Van Persie who is injured. What do we do with all the players?

“We are not in the transfer market at the moment and we are not interested in buying anybody. We have plenty of players.”

Wenger instead preferred to lavish praise on the rapidly blossoming midfield partnership between Spanish World Cup winner Cesc Fabregas and English teenager Jack Wilshere, who both got on the scoresheet on Tuesday.

Wilshere shrugged off the controversy surrounding his straight red card against Birmingham last weekend to give another assured performance in central midfield that belied his 18 years.

“I am convinced it works well together,” Wenger said of the Fabregas-Wilshere axis.

“Cesc just came back tonight but Jack has a good maturity level. You never think he’s 18 years of age when he plays and they combine well.”

With England’s national team currently suffering from a dearth of creative options in midfield, the clamour for Wilshere’s elevation to Fabio Capello’s starting line-up is well under way.

Wenger acknowledged, albeit reluctantly, that the young Arsenal prodigy was capable of stepping up to the national team, whose next game is a friendly against France at Wembley next month.

Asked if he felt Wilshere was ready to start next month he replied: “Without wanting to make headlines it’s difficult to say.

“If you ask me the reverse question ‘Do you think he’s not ready to play for England’ it’s difficult to say no … just give him time. I know that’s not easy for you.”

Wenger was also pleased that the furore caused by Wilshere’s ugly sending off last weekend had not deterred the youngster from playing his usual game, and he was pointedly willing to enter challenges against Shakhtar.

“He didn’t hide from challenges tonight,” Wenger said. “Sometimes when you get such a storm you want to go the other way.

“Jack is a player with a good technical level but he doesn’t hide from challenges and that is a tremendous strength when you are at that level.”

With a crucial Premier League battle against Manchester City looming this weekend, Wenger denied that he would have preferred a more testing warm-up than the limited threat posed by Shakhtar.

“When you win 1-0 it’s too difficult, when you win 5-1 it’s too easy,” Wenger said. “I think tonight we had the intention, the team attitude and very very good technical level.

“The teams that play in the Champions League are used to dominating games in their championship and they try to play.

“You don’t often play against teams who defend only. So when you’re superior there is always a chance to score goals.”