Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere believes his new role with the Gunners is helping him improve the defensive aspect of his game.

Speaking to the Official Arsenal Magazine, the 18-year old explained how he is enjoying his new position on the pitch as he is now more aware of the defensive side of the game. On playing alongside Alex Song, the Englishman added how communication between the two is excellent as they both know that they have to sit deep if the other moves forward to help the offensive department.

Wilshere also added how in training he does work on the defensive side of the game as well as his heading from goal-kicks which according to the youngster are improving all the time.

He concluded by stressing the importance of tackles, admitting they were not well-timed at the start of his career but how it’s another part of his game which is getting better and better with time.

On his role, Wilshere said:

I think it’s good for me to play in that position. It helps that I can work on defensive things as well as my attacking game. This year I’ve become, if not a holding player as such because I still like to get forward, more aware of the defensive aspect.

Alex and I both know how it works and it doesn’t even need that much talking. If I go upfield, Alex is clever enough to see that he needs to stay and vice versa – if he goes I can see that I need to hold. And the centre-backs help us as well, they’re always talking because they can see what is happening in front of them.

Perhaps at the start of the season I was holding back a bit, getting to know the role, but recently I’ve been getting forward more often – I got that goal against Aston Villa and I’d like to score a few more now.

At the beginning of the season the boss told me he sees me playing in that position but the defensive side, my heading from goal-kicks and my tackling for example, needed to be worked on. And I think it’s improving all the time.

Certain things come naturally and tackling wasn’t one of them, I’d sometimes go a bit over the top when I was younger. Everyone’s going to get some wrong through – I certainly did against Birmingham, but it’s getting better and in the position I play it’s an important side of the game.