Jack Wilshere thinks Mikel Arteta has already made promising changes at Arsenal, and says he always thought he had the makings of a Gunners boss.
Arteta was Wilshere's teammate at Arsenal for five years between 2011 and 2016, before the Spaniard retired having picked up two FA Cups with the Gunners.
Wilshere moved on West Ham in 2018 after 17 years on the books in north London, and he says he's seen positive changes from Arsenal under Arteta ever since the appointment of the former Manchester City assistant in December last year.
“Everyone who I’ve spoken to since leaving Arsenal or even when I was at Arsenal would say they wouldn’t mind playing against us because they knew they could get opportunities. Going forward we were always a joke," Wilshere said in an Instagram Live chat with Sam Morgan.
“I’m not just talking about the defence but defensively, as a team, they would get chances and I think Arteta has changed that a bit.”
The midfielder went on to detail what he saw in Arteta when he was his teammate.
“When I was playing with him you don’t really think about that [him being a manager] but, when I look back, you could tell,” Wilshere added.
“He was one of those guys in training who was always on it. He wouldn’t accept anything less than 100 per cent.
“Even if we were doing possession, he would try and base it around a game and try and talk to you about what we should be doing.
“Around the training ground he was first in, never late, he would do everything properly. His discipline was unreal.
“On the pitch as well, he was the leader for us. In the dressing room and around the place he wouldn’t get involved in any banter.
“His English was good, he knew the game, he was good. He was a big player for us.”
