WHEN you watch any football team, one or two players stand out as being better than the rest – and they are usually the ones who make the whole thing tick.

Having watched England on Wednesday night against Brazil, I was simply left pondering what a fantastic performance Jack Wilshere put in.

I remember seeing him three or four years ago playing for Arsenal in Barcelona and, while his team were given the run-around, Wilshere was probably the best player in either team.

He was exceptional and the only Arsenal player who looked like he belonged on that pitch at the Nou Camp.

Because of his injury problem, we seem to have put Wilshere totally to the back of our minds over the last 18 months.

But he showed the other night he is exactly the type of player who can spark the likes of Theo Walcott, Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard and help them produce their very best.

After so many dull friendlies over the years, Wilshere made me take another look at the whole England side and I was left thinking they aren’t actually that bad.

They still have frailties, obviously, but I think England will go to the World Cup and, as long as they can keep Wilshere fit, I think he will become a very influential player for the national side over the next five to 10 years.

The other thing I found interesting was England playing with two young centre-backs who have pace.

They pushed very high up the pitch to keep the midfield squeezed together and it suggests to me that the days of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are a thing of the past.

I certainly think those two would struggle with playing so high up the pitch against top-quality international opposition.

I think Roy Hodgson, Ray Lewington and Gary Neville deserve a lot of credit, too, because you get the impression that when England turn up nowadays they are ready to put in a shift. The players seem to feel like it’s worth being part of it all.