Frimpong is desperate to play for the Black Stars

Ghana midfielder Emmanuel Frimpong is desperate to establish himself as a star for club and country – just like his pal Jack Wilshere.

Fulham’s on-loan Arsenal midfielder has plenty in common with the newest star in England.

They are the same age, 21, both became Gunners aged nine and both have had promising starts in their football careers interrupted by injury.

But while Wilshere has already overcome his injury setbacks, Frimpong – who has chosen Ghana, where he was born, over England – is still trying to establish himself as a top-flight player more than a year after a cruciate injury while on loan at Wolves.

His 64 minutes at Carrow Road represented Frimpong’s first Premier League action since last February.

He said: “That is football. Sometimes you are going to get good luck, sometimes you are going to get bad luck. I have had loads of injuries but I mean to get over it just like Jack has.

“Sometimes you are going to get good luck, sometimes you are going to get bad luck.

“I am not going to make his head even bigger than it already is, though – I am not going to say he is an inspiration. But Jack is a great footballer.

“Every young player in the Premier League wants to achieve what he is doing.”

Frimpong is also hopeful a call-up for Ghana will follow but re-establishing himself at Arsenal is his main aim.

“Arsene Wenger told me to come here because there is no point sitting on the bench at Arsenal,” he said.

“He told me, ‘Show the manager what you can do, get some games under your belt and come back next season and see what happens’.”