Jack Wilshere has revealed the advice he received from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after becoming the new manager of Luton Town.
Former Arsenal and England midfielder Wilshere has been handed his first full-time managerial role, taking over a Luton side 11th in League One.
The Hatters have suffered a dramatic fall, having played in the 2023-24 Premier League before back-to-back relegations to the third tier.
Wilshere, who previously worked with Arsenal’s U18s, spoke with Arteta about the Luton job and has lifted the lid on their private conversation.
‘I spoke to Mikel and asked when he knew he was ready,’ Wilshere, who played 197 games for Arsenal from 2008 to 2018, said on Monday.
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‘He laughed and said, ‘You just have to jump in and swim as hard as you can’.
‘He’s obviously done that really well and I was close to that. This feels a little bit similar to that. Of course it’s a different level, but when Mikel went in, it wasn’t a nice place at Arsenal, the fans were not sure what was happening.’
Wilshere was a first team coach at Norwich City last season and stepped in as interim boss for the final two games of the Championship campaign.
The new Luton manager will take charge of his first game against Mansfield Town at home on Saturday.
Wilshere started his youth career at Luton before he was snapped by up Arsenal’s Hale End academy.
He trained at the club a few years ago after injuries led to him terminating his contract West Ham in October 2020.
‘Nathan Jones kindly invited me back [in 2021] and I trained here before Luton were promoted to the Premier League,’ Wilshere added.
‘I loved every minute. It’s probably the reason I started thinking about coaching.
‘The intensity Nathan would bring in and around the training ground, with the staff, I really wanted to be part of it but, unfortunately, my body said no.
‘It made me think I can’t compete at the level I want to and will have to think of something else.
‘I found coaching and I found a real passion for it, a real hunger for it and it’s like the more you’re in it the more you want to do better and you want to find new things.’
Wilshere played for West Ham, AFC Bournemouth and Danish side AGF after leaving Arsenal in 2018 before hanging up his boots.
The 33-year-old, who won two FA Cups and the Community Shield during his time at Arsenal, was capped 34 times by England before his retirement.