Arsene Wenger felt he had unearthed the next starlet from the youth academy when Jack Wilshere broke into the senior squad.
The young midfielder broke into the Arsenal first team squad at 17-years-old seemingly with the world at his feet.
Wilshere had impressed in the youth setup before breaking into the first team Credit: AFP
Who is Jack Wilshere?
Jack Wilshere was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
He joined the Arsenal academy when he 9-years-old after a short spell in the Luton Town academy.
The young starlet really impressed in North London and quickly worked his way through the academy ranks before he was named captain of the under-16 side.
Jack Wilshere as a child
It was youth coach Steve Bould who gave him his first chance when he promoted him to the under-18 side.
Wilshere impressed and started scoring goals from midfield which first attracted the attentions of Arsene Wenger.
What happened to Jack Wilshere?
Jack Wilshere made his debut for Arsenal reserves at 16-years-old and was named in Arsene Wenger’s senior squad for the following season.
He made his first team debut in September 2008 when he came on as a substitute for Robin Van Persie against Blackburn Rovers.
This made him Arsenal’s youngest-ever debutant breaking the previous record of Cesc Fabregas.
A loan spell with Bolton Wanderers saw the youngster impress and became a regular fixture in the first team the following season.
His performances saw him win a call up to England senior team where he became only the 10th 16-year-old to win a full cap under the guidance of Fabio Capello.
It was in the 2011/12 season that Wilshere suffered a stress fracture of his ankle which was to be the start of his dreaded injury-curse.
The injury resulted in Jack Wilshere missing the entire season and would become the something that was to plague his career.
Wilshere spent 17 months on the sidelines before he was to make his return to the first-team setup.
He was sent out on loan to Bournemouth where he was to rediscover the form which saw Wenger put such faith in him.
While on loan he won consecutive Player of the Month awards for The Cherries before suffering a hairline fracture of his fibula in a game against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.
This saw him miss the remainder of the season.
Jack Wilshere would have more success in the Arsenal first-team after his rehabilitation but eventually was sold to West Ham in 2018.
At the end of his three-year contract he was released from The Hammers and re-joined Bournemouth on a short-term contract.
He struggled to make an impact and announced his retirement from football at the young age of 30-years-old.
Where is Jack Wilshere now?
After announcing his retirement from playing, Wilshere was announced as the head coach of Arsenal under-18s.
Despite his stop/start career which was hampered by injury, Wilshere has always been regarded as a Gunners legend.
He is still at the club now in his capacity of youth team coach.
