Jack Wilshere Handed First Coaching Job By Arsenal Three Days After Retiring From Playing

"It's a huge honor to have this role," Wilshere told arsenal.com. "It's no secret that I love this club. I love what we stand for and a big part of my life was spent in this academy, some of the best days of my life.

"This is a big opportunity for me and I'm ready. I'm hungry and can’t wait to help these young players thrive and be the best they can be on and off the pitch.

"It's a special feeling to be part of the Arsenal family. It never left me, and even though I moved on for a few years, my heart was always still at Arsenal. I can't wait to get started and help these young players thrive with a great team around me."

Wilshere - who trained with Arsenal at times last season in a bid to maintain his fitness - will report to former teammate Per Mertesacker, who has been the club's academy manager since 2017.

Mertesacker said: "This is great news for everyone involved in our academy.

"We have made a number of really positive changes in the last few weeks and I believe that we have the best possible people here to build on the progress that we’ve made in recent years.

"Everyone knows how passionate Jack is about Arsenal. He understands what we want to achieve here and he really impressed us last year. He knows exactly what it takes to progress through the academy into first-team football."

Wilshere will be supported by Adam Birchall, who will serve as Arsenal's Under 18 assistant coach as well as being the club's Under 17 head coach.

Arsenal also announced the appointment of Mehmet Ali as Under 21 head coach on Monday.

Mertesacker added: "Mehmet also really impressed us in the last six months and we knew that he was the right person to take on the Under-21s role."