Arsene Wenger has revealed that he feels responsible for the injury-stricken careers of Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey.
The Frenchman gave many opportunities to young players during his time as manager in north London, but the British duo were two of the most highly rated to break through.
Ramsey is currently playing for one of the world’s biggest clubs in Juventus, but he hasn’t been able to register the minutes he deserves because of ongoing injury issues.
He also missed a large chunk of his Arsenal career because of various problems, with his worst injury coming against Stoke in February 2010 when Ryan Shawcross broke his leg.
Meanwhile, Wilshere has been without a club since leaving Bournemouth at the end of last season. Once Arsenal’s youngest ever Premier League player, the Gunners’ former number 10 was tipped to be one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, but injuries have plagued his career.
The 29-year-old is still looking to get his career back on track, and Mikel Arteta even told him that he is welcome to report to Arsenal’s London Colney training ground to work on his fitness if he wishes to.
However, Wenger, who has been in the news lately as a direct result of his biennial World Cup proposals, has admitted that he feels responsible for how the talented duo’s careers have panned out.
In an interview with The Telegraph, he said. “I see more positivity. Before there was more kicking and I must say the media allowed that. The VAR has brought more respect for the offensive game.
“Sometimes the more technical guys were kicked. Why? It was not very encouraging. We have moved forward from that.
“We always tried. It was a frustration sometimes. When I look back at players like Wilshere, Ramsey who have been injured early in their career and when you are a manager you feel very responsible for that.”
Perhaps Wenger is being too hard on himself, but if one thing’s for certain, it’s that Arsenal fans will be hoping that their beloved midfield duo can finish their respective careers the way they both started it.
