England international Jack Wilshere has been tipped by Arsene Wenger to be the manager as well as the captain of Arsenal one day
After joining the Arsenal academy as a nine-year-old in 2001, midfielder Jack Wilshere has grown from strength to strength at the Emirates. Seven years later, the Englishman became the youngest debutant for the Gunners at the age of 16. The future looked bright for the young and upcoming Arsenal prodigy.
However, due to a number of injuries sustained over the years, Wilshere has failed to reach the heights many expected him to. Despite being a gritty and hard-working player, the 22-year-old has struggled to fight his own battles in maintaining fitness.
Arsene Wenger has been extremely patient with the player and has always held him in high regard, despite his fitness concerns. The player’s talents were even noticed by former England head-coach Roy Hodgson who picked him in his squad for the European Championships in France.
Due to a number of quality players in the Arsenal ranks along with a few more added in the summer, Wilshere would have found it extremely hard to clock regular playing minutes. Thus, he was sent out on loan on deadline to fellow Premier League side Bournemouth.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game against Southampton, Wenger was quizzed about Wilshere’s move to Bournemouth and whether or not he would play any further role at the North London club.
“Jack Wilshere is a world-class player… He’s most dangerous when he plays further forward.”
“He’s gone to play games. He wanted games and I can understand his desire, it’s a logical decision. I hope personally that he stays his whole career here,” the Frenchman responded.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, Wenger said that he expects Wilshere to stay put at the Emirates for the long haul and maybe could even be the captain and the manager of the Gunners due to his adept footballing brain.
“Yes,” Wenger said, in answer to the captaincy issue, before he added: “Certainly, one day, he will be in my seat. He has a real football brain and understands football. It’s in his genes.”
“I see him in the future at this club, of course. He will spend his life in football, he is a football man. He has an eye on everybody – it’s in him. You have that or you haven’t got it, but he is a real football man,” added Wenger.
Wilshere’s Arsenal contract expires at the end of the 2018 season. It is expected that the 24-year-old will sign an extension at the club this summer once his loan spell at the Vitality Stadium comes to an end.