Once considered the big hope of Arsenal and England’s future, the midfielder’s progression has not followed the development curve he was expected to, mainly due to the incessant injuries
Daily Mail carried out an exclusive interview with Arsenal’s loanee Jack Wilshere, where the player touched upon various topics in a very candid conversation with the English publication, ranging from the tipping point for a move away from his beloved Arsenal to Bournemouth manger’s unique training sessions.
When asked about his loan move, Wilshere explained the competition for places at the Gunners, with Granit Xhaka joining the club for £30 million, as one of the reasons he had to request Arsene Wenger for a move away even though the manager tried to pacify by stating he would play this season.
The defining moment, however, came for Wilshere when the English national team squad was announced towards end of August and he wasn’t a part of it.
“There were a lot of midfielders and the manager brought another one in. I’d been injured for a while, and I was thinking I was at a stage of my career where I needed to play. And then came the final straw (the national team snub). It hurt not being in there.”
Jack also revealed there was an approach from AC Milan but it took only one conversation with Eddie Howe for him to decide the ideal move for him would be at Bournemouth.
Since his move to Bournemouth, Wilshere has appeared on 6 occasions in the league, playing 414 mins which already makes it more minutes than he played in Premier League 2015-16.
Last weekend agaisnt Spurs, Wilshere played for the whole 90 mins of the game. Incredibly, the last time he completed 90 minutes in the league, before last weekend, was way back in September 2014.
When quizzed about his future, the midfielder said his focus for the moment is to accumulate as much playing time as possible and continue his development as a player, but later added a future at Arsenal is not a given.
“I genuinely don’t know if I am going to end up at Arsenal or somewhere else. I haven’t really thought about my future beyond getting a season under my belt and just trying to improve as a player”
Jack Wilshere has a contract with Arsenal running until 2018.
At 24 years old, it needs to be said, not all is lost for the English midfielder. If he can maintain his fitness, there’s no doubt he will forge together a successful career; whether at Arsenal or elsewhere, it needs to be seen.
