Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has claimed that Troy Deeney's comments on the character of the Gunners were 'not justified'.

After Watford came from behind to record a 2-1 win over Arsenal at the weekend, Deeney said that Arsene Wenger's side were "lacking cojones".

However, Wilshere - who is yet to feature in the Premier League this season - has insisted that Arsenal simply made mistakes, rather than not showing enough desire to see out the game.

The 25-year-old is quoted by The Telegraph as saying: "As a player, if your attitude is questioned, it's horrible. I look around this team and you can't question our character. People try and put us down, they always have. I don't think the comments were justified.

"When we look back at the game, we look back at ourselves and what we did wrong. I don't think we can look back and question our character – we did certain things wrong but we certainly did not want to let the lead slip."

Wilshere will hope to feature when Arsenal face Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League on Thursday.