Arsene Wenger is ready to send Jack Wilshire out on loan to Bolton, and in doing so he is throwing the youngster into a relegation scrap.

It will certainly show him what the 18-year-old is made of. From his limited showings for the Gunners, he not only looks like a quality player with skill and vision but also one who can put himself about, not afraid to make a tackle. Despite not being the biggest he seems strong and it should be seen as a massive show of faith from Wenger to send such a raw youngster into the heat and ferocity at the bottom of the Premier League.

Owen Coyle’s style of play must also have held massive sway in the Frenchman’s decision. He knows that Coyle gives his sides confidence on the ball and, as Burnley showed under his management, gets them playing fast, incisive, passing football. The last thing Wenger would want is for Wilshire to learn nothing more than chasing lost causes and return with neck ache. He knows that Coyle will allow Wilshire to play, even if that means him making mistakes in the process.

And he will make mistakes, for he will be competing against players in the calibre of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Michael Carrick – but what a learning curve it will be for him. And what, apart from spending four months at one of the Premier League’s strugglers, were the other options? He could have gone to one of the Championship’s top sides, say West Brom or Nottingham Forest, and there would have been many benefits to this, but Wilshire is viewed as one of Arsenal’s future stars. That tag is going to carry a lot of pressure and the sooner he gets used to such Premier League strains the better.

If Cesc Fabregas leaves North London in the next couple of years (ducks for cover – I’m not saying he definitely will) then players such as Wilshire and Aaron Ramsey are going to have some big shoes to fill. It will be such a confidence boost for Wenger to know that the Hertfordshire-born youngster can perform on a regular basis in the top flight.

Let’s not forget that Wilshire is only 18. Not many footballers get regular Premier League starts at that age, so it is a slight risk to send him on loan to the bottom half of the league. There is a chance it will damage his confidence. But there’s an even bigger chance that it will prove another Wenger masterstroke, with Wilshire returning to The Emirates in the summer ready to challenge Fabregas and Co. for a place in the Gunners’ starting 11.