Jack Wilshere took a look back at his glory years as an Arsenal teenager.
It was in the 2008/09 season when Wilshere was the newest prospect breaking into the Gunners senior side.
He had come out of the Academy ranks firing and was going from strength to strength. Arsene Wenger did not hesitate to rely on the teenage sensation then when senior players were out injured. What it eventually led to is fatigue and a long drawn-out career of injuries.
Wilshere, currently at Bournemouth in the Championship, left Arsenal in 2018 to sign for West Ham United on a free.
“I remember having conversations with the physios in my first year in the Arsenal team,” Wilshere recalled. “They were like: ‘Look, you’re playing a lot…’ I told them: ‘I want to play.’ I was living the dream. I was 19, playing for Arsenal.
“We were challenging for the Premier League, in the Champions League. No one was going to tell me I needed a rest. That’s one of my biggest regrets – I wish I’d listened to physios a little more, learned more about my body.
“If I could go back and change one thing, it would be to manage the games, manage myself better and listen to the physios more. It’s easy to say now.”
Bukayo Saka is the biggest Arsenal star right now, featuring in every single game. With no other player bringing the same impact, Mikel Arteta is finding it hard to rest the 19-year-old.
Perhaps Wilshere’s advice will help oversee past mistakes within the North London club.
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