LONDON — Jack Wilshere has insisted there is more to come after the Arsenal midfielder showed signs he is back to his best in England's midweek international friendly win over Brazil. Wilshere's performance in Wednesday's 2-1 victory at Wembley — England's first win over five-time world champion Brazil in 23 years — drew widespread praise from teammates and pundits alike. Now the 21-year-old midfielder will look to help Arsenal take all three points away to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light Saturday, as the visitors try to reclaim a place in the top four of the Premier League. Wilshere spent 17 months on the sidelines with ankle and knee injuries but since returning to action in November has re-established himself as Arsenal's most influential player. The Times proclaimed Wilshere “more Brazilian than the Brazilians” after his latest England display but he maintained there was room for improvement. “I feel my form is getting better and better,” he said. “I am never happy with where I am. I always try to improve and work hard in training. “I always want to keep my performances up for my club and then whenever I get called up for England.” Theo Walcott's performance against Brazil will also have pleased Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as his side attempts to close the four-point gap on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur. But while Wilshere and Walcott offer promise going forward, the manager's immediate priority is in defense with center-back Laurent Koscielny suffering a calf problem in France's friendly defeat by Germany and skipper Thomas Vermaelen struggling with an ankle problem. Sebastien Squillaci and youngster Ignasi Miquel are on standby to partner Per Mertesacker in central defense while Nacho Monreal will again deputize for the injured Kieran Gibbs. Vermaelen, though, believes Wenger's side is beginning to find their form. “You could see it from the start of the season,” the Belgium international told Arsenal's website. “This team has a lot of potential. It's a case of everybody staying fit.” He added: “Sunderland away is always a tough game. I think we did well in the first game of the season at home against Sunderland. We couldn't score but we were the better team and had the better chances.” Ferguson fined Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson was fined $18,800 by the Football Association (FA) Friday for comments he made about a linesman, but avoided a touchline ban. Ferguson had been charged with misconduct after describing linesman Simon Beck's performance as “shocking” when he failed to flag for a penalty after Wayne Rooney was brought down in the area in United's 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur last month. Ronaldo itching for clash against former club Cristiano Ronaldo has said he cannot wait to take on some old friends when Real Madrid hosts Manchester United in the Champions League next week. The clash between two sides that have won the competition a combined 12 times is by far the stand-out tie of the last 16 and Ronaldo said his wish was granted when the Spanish champion was paired with his old club back in December. “I actually said beforehand that I believed we would draw Manchester United. I've wanted to face them for some time,” he said in an interview published on UEFA.com. — Agencies
