Wilshere briefly returned to Luton in 2021, being invited to train at the club by then boss Nathan Jones after he had left West Ham.

He says it was around this time that he started considering a move into coaching.

And Wilshere took advice from current Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta before taking a managerial job.

"About a year ago I asked Mikel when he knew he was ready," Wilshere said at his news conference on Monday.

"He laughed and said 'you just have to jump in and swim as hard as you can'.

"He's done that really well and this feels a little similar. It's a different level but Arsenal wasn't a nice place when Mikel went in.

"The fans weren't sure what was happening and he built complete unity and trust in what he was doing."

Yet it was clear to some Wilshere was going to become a manager much earlier in his career.

"You could see the way his brain works, what he sees on the football pitch, how he wants to play the game and change things," said Paul Robinson, who played...