If there is better value anywhere than the ten quid spent watching the Yoofs shred Wigan, I have no idea what it might be.

I reckon that Wigan had about six internationals in their team - then again I make it that we already had four of our own.

Just where do you start with this exhilarating bunch of kids? Someone suggested we had three potential world class players. Well I don’t believe we had three potential world class players in our line up, I believe we already had three world class players in this line-up. It’s just that they are not physically ready for week-in week-out football at the very top level yet. And do not, as yet, always make the right pass/shoot/run/dribble decisions. Other than that, the majority could all walk into about 16 other Premiership first teams tomorrow and probably star.

Wilshere will play for the full England squad before his nineteenth birthday, his strength is amazing for a kid his age, he fears nothing, his control is Maradona class and he has a football brain like Cesc for spotting a pass that no one else can envisage - and then executing it. His killer ball for the first goal was brilliant by anyone’s standards. Gibbs has got it in abundance. Carlos Vela is unreal - Joe Cool or what? And that lovely smile will sell thousands of shirts. Fabianski is still pretty raw but quite exceptional. He may have loony tunes tendencies but his double save was great. Kirkland needed to be at his very best. Ramsey is the real deal, still apt to overdo it at times and lose the ball in key areas but he has it all.

Maybe I just hadn’t seen enough of Randall to appreciate what he can do, but he’s got as much skill as Ramsey - which is a serious compliment. Merida too showed us just how good he might be, which is very good at least. Song did all that was asked of him whereas Djourou did even more. I’d be quite happy for him to take up a first team berth for the remainder of the season. Jay Simpson won’t make it with Arsenal, not because he isn’t a fine football but simply because he’s not world class. He will however carve out a great career for himself and be forever thankful that Arsenal were the club that taught him his trade. The same probably applies for Gavin Hoyte whose speed is second to none.

The Wigan players tried to intimidate, tried to out-muscle, used their superior strength and weighed into the action like heavyweights. But in Zaki and Bramble they have a couple of immobile lard buckets, a bit like their manager. Catermole, who is still an England under-21 is their best prospect and not even Valencia could not put one over on us. It must be difficult to raise your game against a team of unknowns. But they sure as hell won’t be unknown for much longer will they?