Arsene Wenger defends Arsenal after they were beaten at home 1-2 by Ostersunds but reached Europa League last 16 through 4-2 on aggregate. Former Arsenal striker Paul Mariner joins Mark Donaldson to project his starting XIs ahead of Sunday's Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City. Arsene Wenger says winning Europa League is not how Arsenal want to qualify for next season's Champions League.
LONDON -- Arsene Wenger hit back at Roy Keane's comments that Jack Wilshere is "probably the most overrated player on the planet."
Keane didn't hold back in his criticism of Arsenal after they lost 2-1 to Ostersunds in the Europa League on Thursday, a result that still saw them go through 4-2 on aggregate.
Wilshere was captain for that game but was part of a lacklustre performance from Arsenal, who trailed 2-0 at halftime.
"You look for your senior players to lead by example, Keane, the former Manchester United midfielder, said on ITV after the game. "When Wilshere is your captain ... to me, he is probably the most overrated player on the planet."
Jack Wilshere will become a free agent at the end of the season.
When told of the comments at his news conference on Friday ahead of the Carabao Cup final, Wenger sighed.
"Personally, I rate Jack very highly. After that, you can have opinions," Wenger said. "Jack was in a team last night who didn't perform well, so it was not easy for him as well. Was it one of his best performances last night? Certainly not. Roy Keane knows that can happen to everybody."
Wilshere has returned to full fitness this season after a long history of injuries and has re-established himself as a regular starter in Wenger's side in recent months.
He also captained Arsenal at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semifinals, but has yet to agree to a new contract with his current deal expiring this summer.
Mattias is ESPN FC's Arsenal correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @MattiasKaren.
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Source: espn.co.uk