Wilshere earns Capello plaudits

England manager Fabio Capello praised the contribution of Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere after his side’s 2-1 win over Denmark.

Wilshere, 19, made his first international start in Copenhagen on Wednesday, and carried defensive midfield duties with aplomb as England sealed victory after strikes from Darren Bent and Ashley Young cancelled out Daniel Agger’s opener.

Capello was buoyed by the performance of both Wilshere and Aston Villa striker Bent, but added it was too early to decide whether the youngster would retain his place in the squad for next month’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales.

“I am happy with the result and the performance of some players,” Capello said.

“Wilshere, in the first half, played with confidence and it was an interesting debut.”

“Bent played well and worked hard to help the team.”

“It’s a different position to where he plays for Aston Villa and he scored a goal and had chances for a second.”

When asked about Wilshere’s chances of staying in the team, Capello was non-committal.

“It is too early to decide about Wales now,” he said.

“He played well. It was not easy in the first half because Denmark pressed and ran a lot, but Jack played with a lot of confidence.”

“I am happy with that performance. But now have to wait for a month because all the players have some really important games, not only in the Premier League but in the Champions League too.”

Capello was also impressed with the form of Young, and the 25-year-old made a good impression after replacing Wayne Rooney at half-time, leaving the Italian manager with a selection dilemma ahead of the Wales game.

“In this position Young is really good because he is free,” said Capello. “He can run where he wants.”

“He has to defend as well but he is really fast, technically good, and dangerous for the opponents.”

“There is big competition now and it is not easy for me to choose.”

“There are some new players. Andy Carroll is a new player. Jack Wilshere is a new player. Theo Walcott is back.”