Arsene Wenger insists he feels responsible for the injuries suffered by a young Jack Wilshere.
The midfielder broke into the Arsenal first team as a teenager during the Frenchman's tenure.
His performances quickly caught the eye and he was tipped for the top but injuries have curtailed his career.
Aaron Ramsey, another former Gunner, himself suffered a horrific injury early on in his Arsenal career.
Wenger claims the attritional nature of the Premier League, which has been softened by the introduction of VAR, was an issue but as boss he felt particular responsibility.
He told the Telegraph :"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 (Arsenal) always tried. It was a frustration sometimes. When I look back at players like (Jack) Wilshere, (Aaron) Ramsey who have been injured early in their career and when you are a manager you feel very responsible for that.”
Wilshere's injury problems between 2015 - 2017 restricted him to just five appearances before he was let go in 2018.
Those issues have continued to follow him during spells at West Ham and Bournemouth with the now 29-year-old looking for a club.
The midfielder, who has 34 caps for England, spoke openly recently about his struggles as he waits patiently for the phone to ring.
He told TalkSport : “I’ve actually had a good pre-season. I’ve been training with a club just to keep myself fit. I’m in a good place, physically. I’m 29…
“I’m waiting for the right opportunity to come up, to be honest, mate.
“But, having said that, nothing has come up at the minute and there’s nothing happening.
“I don’t know the answer to that question to be honest, mate.
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“I’m just waiting. I don’t really know how long I can wait, I don’t really want to wait as long as I did last time when I left West Ham in the summer, and then I didn’t get a club until January when I went to Bournemouth.
“I don’t really want to wait that long [again]. So, hopefully, something will happen sooner rather than later.”
Only last month Wilshere was training with newly-promoted Serie B side Como, but is unable to register with them because he’s a non-EU player.
Reports in Italy claim the midfielder was invited to train with Como due to some mutual acquaintances at the club.
