Former Scotland defender Alan Hutton believes that Jack Wilshere failed to stand out as West Ham crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The Hammers were embarrassed by League One outfit Oxford United, losing 4-0 at the Kassam Stadium. It was the second time in as many seasons that they have lost in a cup competition to third tier opposition after being beaten by AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup last term.
Manuel Pellegrini made nine changes from their starting 11 against Manchester United on Sunday, giving some fringe players an opportunity to stake their claim to feature on a more regular basis.
One of those was England international Jack Wilshere, whose time at the London Stadium has, somewhat unsurprisingly, been marred by injury troubles.
He played just 389 minutes in his first season at the club, and has struggled to break into the team so far this term with just two league starts. This was an opportunity for him to press his claim to be back in the first team, but he didn’t play well and was hooked after 66 minutes.
Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton criticised Wilshere and his teammates for their performance against Oxford. He said: “It’s unacceptable. I think every person who stepped on that pitch should be [held accountable]. If they’re waking up this morning thinking: ‘Did I play well?’ I don’t think any would say yes.
“The likes of Wilshere, these guys that people around him would look to him to be doing good on the pitch, driving the team forward, creating chances, helping out. He’s a big player, a big, big player.
“He should be a driving force, he should be a standout. No disrespect to Oxford, he should be a standout performer and for whatever reason, none of them have been on the night.”
Looking at the stats, it is hard to disagree with Hutton. During his time on the pitch, Wilshere failed to make a single key pass, made just one successful dribble and was dispossessed on one occasion too (via WhoScored).
It was a big chance for the former Arsenal man to show Pellegrini what he is all about and to try and put some pressure on first-team regulars such as Declan Rice and Mark Noble. Frankly, he failed to deliver.
