MY ONE REGRET? I WISH I’D LISTENED TO THE PHYSIOS

England may possess an embarrassment of riches in the no 10 slot now, but there was a time when Jack Wilshere was being heralded as the ‘something different’ Fabio Capello needed after the Three lions’ poor 2010 World Cup.

Wilshere is only 29 and reflects on his 34 caps with pride and regret. His talent was never in doubt — just his fitness. Wilshere, now of Bournemouth, sat down with Sportsmail’s Jamie Redknapp, who knows all about injuries, to discuss his career. Kieran gill listened in ...

REDKNAPP: When I was new to punditry and you were at arsenal you once said something that resonated with me. It was after your first ankle injury and I’d maybe not shown too much understanding when speaking about your performance. You approached me afterwards and said: ‘ You should know better.’ That stuck with me. I should have. WILSHERE: If I have a bad game, I’ll be the first to hold my hands up. People in your position get paid to have an opinion and that’s fine if it’s deserved. But it was when I was just coming back.

Injuries are bad enough, but then people question you. You put your social media on and people are at you. I was young, trying to get back to a certain level at a club challenging in the top four. That’s why I said: ‘ You should know better.’ You’d been through it. Expectations are high at clubs.

You try your best to come back but can push yourself too early and get found out. JR: Exactly and I should have known that. I was back in training with liverpool 10 days after having my meniscus out, which was ridiculous — way too early. JW: I remember having conversations with the physios in my first year in the arsenal team. They were like: ‘look, you’re playing a lot...’ I told them: ‘I want to play.’

I was living the dream. I was 19, playing for arsenal. We were challenging for the Premier league, in the Champions league. no one was going to tell me I needed a rest. That’s one of my biggest regrets — I wish I’d listened to physios a little more, learned more about my body.

now everyone wears a gPS. You’re looked after. That wasn’t around when I was younger. I’ve heard many people over the years say I attract the challenge. That’s my game — get the player close, do a one-two, dribble around. I still try to play like that.

But if I could go back and change one thing, it would be to manage the games, manage myself better and listen to the physios more. It’s easy to say now. JR: Watching you play against Barcelona in 2011 was incredible. You, at 19, versus a midfield of Xavi and andres Iniesta. It was one of the best performances I’ve seen. looking back, was that almost you in your prime? JW: I remember reading about Michael Owen, how he was in his prime at a young age and it made me think: ‘I don’t want that to be me.’

In terms of having no problems with my body that was my prime. But I had a few seasons after that where I felt good, too. Everyone remembers that Barcelona win because it was against the best midfield of the last 20 years.

When the draw came out, we were written off. You’re in the tunnel standing next to lionel Messi. I don’t think we touched the ball for 20 minutes! You’re thinking: ‘This is going to be a long night.’ Then I made a big challenge and won the ball before beating Iniesta. It lifted everyone. Even now, I think about moments like that. I remember sitting next to Samir nasri later and he told me: ‘You’ve taken your game to another level now. You need to stay at this level.’ That was a great night. I’m not sure I’d say it was my peak.

JR: I didn’t mean peak in a disrespectful way. You went on to do mesmerising things for arsenal, like that norwich goal which none of us will ever forget. But you were just so young at that time. Here was an English kid schooling the brilliant Barcelona. Even Capello was saying you were the future of English football. JW: It seemed like that. I was probably the only English midfielder playing at a top club at that age. now there are so many. I love Phil Foden. I’ve been saying it for years. I told my best mate Benny (Benik afobe) years ago: ‘Watch Foden.’ Foden reminds me — and this is a big compliment — of Messi in the way he drifts with the ball, using his balance. He’s not big and strong but he can take the ball in tight spaces and get out. He can manipulate the ball.

If I was the England manager, he’d be one of the first names on my team sheet. I love watching Jack grealish and James Maddison as well. They’re different players and it’s a nice problem for gareth Southgate to have. They’re all comfortable on the ball.

going back 10 years when I was coming through, people were saying I was different and we were crying out for that. now we’ve got four or five players who can do it. I do look back at clips, just to get confidence and remind myself of what I can do. JR: My knee robbed me of more caps. My last England appearance was in 1999, at 26. It’s hard not to think ‘what if?’. Is there regret? JW: I had a lot of good years in the national team. My last game was against Iceland when we went out of Euro 2016. If someone had said you’ll never play for England again, I’d have been like, ‘no chance’.

It’s frustrating but you have to look back at the years you did have. I played for my country 34 times.

I went to a World Cup, the Euros. You can look back and think, ‘If it wasn’t for injuries, I’d probably still be playing for England’. But you can’t look at it like that.

I’ve got a new challenge now. If someone had asked me 10 years ago, ‘do you think you’ll be playing in the Championship?’ I’d have said no. But circumstances change and things happen that you can’t control. You just have to go with it and enjoy the ride while you’re on it. I don’t want to give up. I want to play for as long as I can, whether that’s in the Championship, the Premier league, the MlS, wherever. I want to play. Every single game, every single minute. I’m having conversations with the manager if I don’t play. I’m asking him why.

WILSHERE became arsenal’s youngest league player at 16 years and 256 days, in 2008. a decade later, he left the club when his contract expired. Here, he explains how it looked as though he was set to stay — until arsene Wenger announced his own exit. JW: I joined Bournemouth on loan in 2016 and broke my leg towards the end of that season. When I came back to arsenal in 2017, I had a year left on my contract. Me and arsene sat down and he said: ‘The club is not going to give you a new deal. If you can get something somewhere else, you can go.’

I was injured so nothing came up, but I looked at the team and backed myself. I thought — if I can get myself fit, with a manager who trusts me, I’ve got a chance. I did that. I was playing in the EFl Cup, the Europa league, then I was back in the Premier league XI.

Come February 2018, the club offer me a new deal. We’re negotiating, then I find out arsene is leaving and the contract offered was incentive-based, so I’d have to play. I wanted to wait to see who the next manager was, because what’s the point in signing a contract where I have to play if the new boss isn’t going to play me?

I spoke to Unai Emery and he told me I wasn’t in his plans. It was a difficult decision to leave because of my connection with the club but it was almost made easy because I knew I wasn’t going to play.