10:00am Friday 12th March 2010
By Marc Iles
TWO teenagers will be getting their kicks at the Reebok tomorrow — and Owen Coyle reckons they are destined for the very top.
Wanderers on-loan winger Jack Wilshere and Wigan’s Scottish prodigy James McCarthy will be fresh faces in the midst of a relegation dogfight, on which could hang much more than local bragging rights.
Both clubs are struggling to put daylight between themselves and the relegation dogfight, leaving this local derby looking like a daunting place to blood such young talent. But both wide boys are likely to be thrown into the mix from the start, and the Wanderers boss has backed both to handle the pressures.
Coyle witnessed McCarthy’s rise to prominence in the Scottish First Division at Hamilton Academicals, where he made his debut at the age of 16.
And he revealed that he tried to sign the Republic of Ireland international as manager of Burnley at the start of the season, before being out-priced by the Latics.
“I tried to get James in at Burnley but from the early stages I knew how it was going to go with our price range,” he said of the 19-year-old midfielder. “The move ended up at £1million plus add-ons.
“I know he’s a talented kid and I’ve known that since he played against my St Johnstone team as a 16-year-old at Hamilton.
“I watched his debut against Manchester United at Wigan and in his initial couple of minutes he got absolutely rag-dolled.
“They all realised that they had to go away and build him up because he’s so naturally talented, it’s easy to see that, but they have worked on the physical side.
“Every time I have seen him now, he looks like a quality player. He’s got a real fire in his belly and he’s a great kid — but hopefully he’ll keep his best performances for after we play him.
“He’s a player who has scope to go to the absolute top. And coming from the area he does, I know he has got a passion to be the best that he can be.
“There’s no doubt that James will continue to evolve, continue to get better and go on to have an unbelievable career.”
Coyle also took the gamble on bringing in Wilshere — one year McCarthy’s junior — to aid Wanderers’ survival cause.
The youngster had not started a Premier League game for Arsenal but has shown at the Reebok he more than has the stomach for a fight.
Wilshere grabbed his first senior goal in the victory over West Ham at Upton Park last weekend, and Coyle believes his continued exposure to first-team football will benefit him in the longer term.
“Playing football games is good for anybody’s development and he’s playing in the best league in the world,” he said.
“Similar to young McCarthy, Jack has got maturity well beyond his years and is so clever on the ball — he’s desperate to do well for us, and there’s no doubt this experience will serve him well. But it will only serve him if he is at the right football club. And I believe he is.”
Coyle has also backed Wilshere to win a first-team shirt at the Emirates next season, once he has helped secure Wanderers’ Premier League future.
“At the end of the season we’ll sit down and have a chat about what Jack has accomplished here and I’ll be more than happy to do that because they’ll be getting back a better player than the one that left to go on loan,” he said.
“He will go back and play first-team football, but then it’s easy for me to say that. Arsene Wenger obviously believes he has scope, or else he wouldn’t have allowed him to come to a Premier League club.
“He did it with Niklas Bendtner because he knows that when they come back to Arsenal, he’ll have a bona fide first-team player.”
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