Wenger: Cesc Is NOT The Best

Now before you all start laying into Le Boss, or indeed yours truly, have a think about Arsene Wenger's comments.

We all love Cesc, his talent for making the game look so simple is out of this world but at the age of 19 do we honestly believe he is the best in the world?

This week has seen numerous articles and interviews proclaiming that Fabregas is the best midfielder in the world, and Wenger has taken precautions to keep the pressure off Fabregas and keep his feet on the ground.

'Talk of him being one of the world's best is premature. I'm not the one to say he won't be the best because I brought him here,' he said.

'But I feel we need to calm down and not put too much pressure on him. He has exceptional stamina and because he is young he recovers very quickly.

'I like to take a middle ground on Cesc. Last year he was too weak. For some people when we sold Patrick Vieira we made a mistake to play Fabregas and then this year he has become the best midfielder in the world.

'The truth is somewhere in between. Give him time. He will get an injection of power in the next two or three years.

'But it's very important for a midfielder that he knows what to do, when to do it and where to be on the pitch. He's extremely intelligent but he's still only 19.

However, like the rest of us, Mr. Wenger knows one thing, that while Cesc may not be the best in the world just yet, he has a bloody good chance of carrying that mantle in a year or two.

'I feel a career is judged after five, six or seven years, when you're in the position of Thierry Henry, Raul, or Patrick Vieira. These players have done it week in, week out for years.'

'That's when you judge a career. But I'm confident of one thing - he has the talent to become one of the world's best. And he's hungry too.'

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