Jack Wilshere has admitted his frustration with Isaiah Jones but believes those issues were answered when the wide man produced his best performance with the ball for Luton Town in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Leyton Orient.
The winger has been converted to a full back, so is required to show his defensive qualities more often since arriving at Kenilworth Road, but the manager was particularly pleased to see Jones repeatedly drive at defenders and carry the Hatters up the pitch, after he replaced the injured Harrison Ashby early on.
The manager wants to see more of that side of his game, particularly after Jones endured a difficult afternoon in the 5-2 defeat at Mansfield a week earlier.
“He knows how much I love him. And I was frustrated with him and for him against Mansfield, because sometimes his calmness and sort of arrogance on the ball can be mistaken,” Wilshere said.
“And I love it about him. Obviously against Mansfield he lost the ball and they scored — which we don’t want.”
Against Orient, however, Wilshere saw the qualities he wants from the former Middlesbrough man.
“That’s the type of Izzy we want: with that aggression, with that drive to get the team forward,” he said.
“Defensively one v one he’s excellent. But also with the ball, driving a defender — he’s really quick, he’s really agile, he can go outside, he can go inside.”
Jones was particularly effective when carrying possession into attacking areas, providing Luton with another way of progressing the ball against an Orient side that became increasingly difficult to break down in the second half.
Wilshere believes that attacking aggression can become a major asset for the 26-year-old if he continues to develop it.
“So he needs to keep building on that,” he said.
For Wilshere, the display was an important reminder of the player Jones can be when he combines his defensive strengths with his ability to attack opponents with the ball.
The challenge now is to make that version of Jones a more regular sight in a Luton shirt.
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