Pundit compares Arsenal ace Joe Willock to ex-Manchester United maestro

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Trevor Sinclair has told Talk Sport that Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock could benefit from the European Championships being put back to Euro 2021.

During his piece on players who could now make the England squad, he also compared the midfield maestro to ex-Manchester United player Michael Carrick.

Willock has enjoyed a decent campaign during 2019/20, playing 32 games and scoring four goals for the Gunners.

The academy graduate has been used on a sporadic basis by current boss Mikel Arteta and he will be hoping for more starts next season.

He has featured just six times from the start during the current campaign and probably wouldn’t have made Gareth Southgate’s squad this summer.

Willock now has another year to get himself in the national manager’s plans and Sinclair has praised the youngster.

He told Talk Sport: “I think Joe Willock at Arsenal has done well and he could be another one for Euro 2021.

“He’s been thrown in at the deep end but he’s done well. He’s neat and tidy and good on the ball.

“He reminds me a bit of Michael Carrick.”

The former England midfielder and Premier League star was vastly underused by the Three Lions.

He collected 34 caps but having played 464 times for a dominant Manchester United, Carrick should have been a regular.

Now on the coaching staff under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, he won everything there is to win at Old Trafford.

Carrick claimed five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, a Champions League and a Europa League during a trophy-laden career.

Style

The real beauty of Willock is that he is extremely versatile when it comes to playing in central midfield.

This season alone he has played as a No.10, in the holding role and as a box-to-box central midfielder.

Carrick was a joy to behold when he was in full flow. His style of play was effortless as he displayed a superb array of passing, spraying balls all over the park.

If Willock can achieve half of what Carrick did during his playing days, Arsenal and England would be onto a winner.