Samir Nasri has no doubt Arsenal team-mate Jack Wilshere is heading for the very top. The pair could be in direct opposition on Wednesday when England host fellow FIFA World Cup™ participants France in a friendly at Wembley.

Turmoil at South Africa 2010 sent both countries into a period of introspection and led to a rebuilding programme that has seen a number of new faces introduced by respective coaches Fabio Capello and Laurent Blanc. One of them is Jack Wilshere. The 18-year-old Arsenal boy,  has only been sharing a dressing room with Nasri frequently for the past four months after completing a loan spell at Bolton last term.

However, Nasri has been aware of Wilshere's quality for far longer than that. "I am not surprised at all by the progress Jack has made," said Nasri. "He had already shown signs in training about what a talented player he was. Like any young player, he needed to be given the opportunity to play."

"Not all players can get a chance to play at the biggest clubs and Jack's time at Bolton helped him to progress," said Nasri.

After benefiting from Wilshere's talents on the Premier League stage, Nasri must try and stop them at international level. The French international accepts that it might not be an easy task.

"Jack is only 18 but he is already getting a regular slot at Arsenal," said the former Marseille star.

"He has already shown he has the quality and technical ability. What he needs to do now is continue his progress without any fear of what is to come.

"The signs are good. He knows how important it is to go forward and play with a positive mindset. I like playing with him because he has so much technical ability and such great skill."

No matter what the outcome at Wembley tomorrow, the midfielders will be united in their desire for victory in Saturday's north London derby. After a weekend of results that went well for Arsenal, Nasri and his team-mates now find themselves just two points adrift of leaders Chelsea despite losing home games against West Brom and Newcastle already this term.

"It was an excellent weekend for us," said Nasri. "Chelsea and Liverpool lost, Manchester United and Manchester City drew. It leaves us in a good position, just behind Chelsea, which is quite exciting for us and the league as a whole."