​Wilshere: Why Arsenal starlet Smith Rowe will take longer than me to develop | OneFootball

Former Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere believes Emile Smith Rowe will take time to develop into a top class player.

The playmaker is already a key member of the Gunners side, having signed a new contract this summer.

However, Wilshere believes that unlike the time that he burst onto the scene, Smith Rowe may need time before he is the finished article.

"But there's a good group of young players, which I feel is probably the best since me, Aaron Ramsey and Kieran Gibbs came through," Wilshere told The Athletic.

"These players need a few years.

"The difference is, I came into a team of world-class players and they really helped me: Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Samir Nasri. They were all brilliant and I could learn from them.

"That's why it's going to take a bit more time because there is more responsibility on these young players.

"I thought Emile Smith Rowe was the best player on the pitch at Brentford (in the season opener) but he's going to take more time to develop because he hasn't got the support system around him that I had."