Jack Wilshere joined Norwich City's coaching team in October. When Jack Wilshere walks into a room, there is still a sense of amazement given his achievements as a player in the professional game with Arsenal and England. Two FA Cups, 34 international caps and recognition across the world for his talent as a technically proficient midfielder in a top Premier League team, but Wilshere has embarked on a new mission to prove himself in the coaching world with Norwich City.
As part of Johannes Hoff Thorup's backroom team, the year-old has stepped into a senior coaching environment for the first time after taking the bold decision to depart Arsenal's academy and step firmly out of his comfort zone.
Wilshere has made little secret of his desire to become a head coach in his own right eventually - but at 33, he is intelligent and patient enough to know that time is on his side. Many of the players Wilshere played alongside for England, like Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney, opted to step straight into first-team management soon after retirement with differing levels of success.
Wilshere has been more calculated with his journey, and moving to Norwich is a key part of his learning process. Jack Wilshere has taken his first steps into senior coaching at Norwich City. People told me to do my badges, and then I went back to Arsenal and worked with Mikel Arteta a little bit.
He really inspired me with the way that he coached. I'd never seen anything like it. I then started to get the bug and coached a little bit in the academy. When my career ended I felt it was the right step, I didn't want to step right into first team management. It was a nice story and to give a bit back to the players coming through meant a lot to me. There's still a lot I need to get better at, but I'm enjoying this part of the journey. Let's see what it leads to. Joining Norwich ended Wilshere's second spell at Arsenal, this time as the unders coach working with the likes of Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly during his time in their academy.
