Jack Wilshere believes Emilio Lawrence has the quality to become an important attacking threat for Luton Town after the youngster opened his account for the club with a goal he’s been working on behind the scenes.
The Manchester City loan winger netted a stunning first senior strikew during the Hatters’ 1-1 draw with Stockport County on Saturday and has continued to catch the eye in recent performances, with the manager highlighting both his finishing ability and the work he has put in behind the scenes.
Speaking after the draw with County, Wilshere said Lawrence’s willingness to practise and improve had been rewarded with a moment of quality in front of goal.
“He works on it. Credit to him. He works on it a lot in training,” he said of the strike.
“That’s why we wanted him to come here and wanted his final third quality, his assists, his goals, his ability to sometimes beat your man, cross the ball, cut in and cause the the defender a problem. Not knowing which way you can go.
“And he’s got the quality off his left. He’s got the quality of his right to do that. So yeah, I’m happy for him.”
Wilshere also revealed the 20-year-old had to adjust quickly to the physical demands of League One after arriving at Kenilworth Road in January on loan from City, when he made five immediate appearances, but wasn’t then seen for the best part of a month.
“When he first came and he was thrown in, he probably had a little bit of a rude awakening about what League One was,” the manager said.
“And when he wasn’t in the team, on his days off, he would come in and he would work on, on them type of finishes.”
The Luton boss added that Lawrence’s biggest tasks initially was earning the trust of his team-mates and coaches, particularly with the defensive side of the game.
“His challenge was to earn the trust of his team-mates, of his coaches, of me,” Wilshere said.
“When you look at a young player coming in to League One, that’s probably what they have to do. And what I mean by that is running, is tracking your runners, is defending.”
Wilshere believes the winger has shown clear improvement in recent weeks, particularly after being asked to play an unfamiliar wing back role.
“The last four or five games, defensively, he’s been excellent,” he said. “We’ve asked him at times to be a wing back, which he’s probably never done, then you’re forced to defend a lot more.”
Now that Lawrence has broken his scoring duck, Wilshere wants him to build on that momentum.
“And eventually as you grow and you get a little run in the team, then show your quality and he’s got two assists now, I think, he’s got one goal and I want him to push on,” he said. “I want him to build on that because he’s got the quality to do so.”
Wilshere also believes Lawrence’s response to early setbacks sends the right message to the rest of the squad.
“He’s done the work. Yeah, it’s a good message. It’s a good message for everyone,” he said.
“We want people, characters like that at this football club. Yeah, you get a little bit of a setback and you get taken out of the team, taken out of the squad. But the only way to get back in areas is by staying focused, having a good attitude, by trying to improve. And he’s definitely done that.”
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