NEIL MOXLEY From a Jack to a king ... and then to a joker

Follow us on Twitter: @peoplesport JACK WILSHERE is widely acknowledged as a Rolls-Royce of a footballer.

Former England boss Roy Hodgson purred about him.

For Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger he was once the equivalent of walnut dashboard, luxurious leather upholstery, or simply the living embodiment of the Spirit Of Ecstasy.

But sadly for them – and for Gunners fans – Wishere hasn’t been a high-roller much of late.

All too often he’s been laid up, stuck in a garage.

You don’t hide that quality out of sight. It should be on show. It should be gleaming. Pride of place and all that.

The trouble is, while the quality of a Rolls-Royce endures, Wilshere hasn’t.

The days when he was discussed as a future England captain were two, three, four years ago.

Towards the end of the 2016-2017 campaign, no-one talks like that about him any more.

Yes, Wilshere has answered some questions on loan at Bournemouth. He’s already played more times for Eddie Howe than he did in the previous two campaigns in north London.

Protect

But his flag-waver-in-chief Hodgson is no longer in office. And new England chief Gareth Southgate has got by comfortably without him so far, thanks very much.

More worryingly for the player himself, Wenger hasn’t got him on speed dial.

Wilshere’s Arsenal contract comes to an end in 16 months’ time. And that’s when all clubs worth their salt rush to protect players t hey value.

With transfer values rising faster than Donald Trump’s hair in a stiff breeze, why would Arsenal not be seeking to at least extend his stay?

Perhaps because Wenger has decided to cut his losses. Perhaps he has decided that Wilshere won’t, after all, be the vital component in Arsenal’s engine room.