Wilshere: Japan on the up

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere believes the level of football in Japan is growing from strength to strength, and that the national team have every chance of lifting the World Cup in the future. The Gunners playmaker will be travelling with the rest of the team to Asia for their Far East tour in July, where they will come up against J-League opposition in Nagoya Grampus and Urawa Reds. Wilshere revealed he is excited to face some of Japan's best players, and feels the country will soon become a force to be reckoned with on the international stage. When asked if he thought Japan could one day win the World Cup, the England international told Arsenal Player: "Without a shadow of a doubt. "They have great players and there are more and more in Europe these days. "Japan can be a force to be reckoned with. They have a great national team and it will be interesting to go over there and face their teams. When we play against them with England we know we are in for a tough game. "The players are more technically gifted than physically gifted. They keep the ball well and they cover a lot of ground, so they are tough opponents."