Jack Wilshere has opened up on his time at Arsenal alongside current boss Mikel Arteta.
Wilshere was already a first-teamer at the club when Arteta joined from Everton in 2011, and the pair would go on to be part of the side that won two FA Cups with the Gunners.
Talking on William Hill’s podcast, Up Front with Simon Jordan, the former midfielder reveals how different Arteta was to any other player at the club.
“When Mikel Arteta came to Arsenal, you could tell straight away that he was a leader – he was different." Wilshere said.
"He was a good player and he was technically very good. His understanding of the game was great and he was a leader and talker. He was different to anyone that I had experienced at the point when he came in.
“I was injured and in a boot when he joined. On his first day he asked me, ‘how long are you out for Jack?’ It was as straight as that. He told me I needed to hurry up and get back and as little as that may sound, to me he understood that I was a good player and he wanted me back in the team – no one else had really ever done that. He led by example, he was always on time and did everything else that you would expect from someone like Mikel."
Arteta is now leading Arsenal's title charge, with the side top of the Premier League table on goal difference, and Wilshere could see his leadership qualities from early on when they were team-mates.
Adding: “He was very much an arm around the shoulder, empathetic kind of person. However, I remember him having heated discussions with other team members from time to time, he could be both types of leader; we saw that with how he dealt with Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang in the documentary.
“One of the traits I really like about him is that he has a lot of humility. That is not an easy thing to have as a Premier League manager. As a player, he would challenge managers in individual moments and specific processes. He would be the guy representing the team to question whether things like match preparation and game plans were right for us.”
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