"I was crying. My wife was crying. We've been through a lot"

The renowned sports writer chats with an Arsenal hero who overcame adversity to run 26 miles and become Luton's new gaffer in 2025

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Jack Wilshere is such a smiling character that it's occasionally easy to forget how much of a competitor he is. Short in stature but not willpower, Wilshere was training alongside Thierry Henry at 14, in Arsenal's first team at 16 and survived a decade in physically and mentally demanding midfields, winning two FA Cups and earning the majority of his 34 England caps during the era of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. He also ran the London Marathon this year on two damaged ankles.

Now, Wilshere is pouring all of his competitive spirit and the experiences he gained working under such differing managers as Arsene Wenger, Eddie Howe, Owen Coyle, Fabio Capello, David Moyes and Roy Hodgson, plus training under Mikel Arteta, into becoming a head coach at Luton Town. At only 33.

Sitting in his training ground office, Wilshere recalls an incident with Granit Xhaka. The Swiss midfielder, who is still excelling at Sunderland this term, arrived at Arsenal in 2016, effectively to replace Wilshere, who was dispatched on loan to Howe's Bournemouth. “There was a feeling from the outside that he’d taken my space,” Wilshere says. “I came back the next year and we connected straight away. This is why I love Granit.

“I’ll tell you a story: away to Milan, Europa League, round of 16, first leg. We were 2-0 up. Granit receives a ball about 40 yards out, tries to shoot – what do they call it? ‘Xhaka Boom’ – and it went into the crowd. I was playing left wing and said, ‘Granit, come on, we need to keep the ball.’ We had an argument on the pitch, and we were face-to-face in the dressing room. But I loved him for it because he just cared so much. He had the same passion, the same hunger as me. He’ll be a top coach because of his experiences with Mikel, but also for who he is and what he stands for.”