Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal will welcome Jack Wilshere back with open arms in future after the Gunners academy product joined Danish side AGF.
The 30-year-old signed for the Aarhus-based team on a short-term deal initially, but an option to extend that contract by one year exists, with Wilshere desperate to prove himself after falling off the footballing map.
Arsenal favourite Wilshere, who began his career with the Gunners and helped the club win the FA Cup twice, has been without a team since leaving Bournemouth at the end of last season.
He was a teenage wonder with Arsenal, making his debut as a 16-year-old in 2008, but injuries have blighted his career in recent years. Prior to making the move to Denmark, Wilshere had been training with Arsenal in an effort to build up his fitness.
Following completion of the deal, Arteta was asked about the prospect of Wilshere potentially returning in a coaching capacity, and the manager was unequivocal in his response.
"One hundred per cent," Arteta told reporters. "I think everyone at the club would be willing to open the doors for him and try to find a role for him that would work for everybody. I think that will happen naturally in the future.
"It's been great to have him, and I think I'm speaking on behalf of everybody and the club, it's been absolutely a pleasure to have Jack back.
"To enjoy watching him play next to us, to have him around, the inspiration that he is for all the young people. Hopefully, we can help him – we have helped him a little bit as well – because he had some doubts with what to do, whether to start coaching or continue playing.
"I think this group of players have given him again that necessity to experience on a daily basis how magnificent it is to feel like a football player, and I think he wants to experience that again. We wish him the best of luck."
Emile Smith Rowe was among the Arsenal players to wish Wilshere luck for his new adventure on Instagram this week, with the attacking midfielder following a similar route to his compatriot.
Smith Rowe also came through the club's academy and appears set for a big future at Emirates Stadium and with England.
He scored Arsenal's first in the 2-1 weekend win over Brentford, taking his Premier League tally to nine goals from just 15 starts. Arteta does not think this is a fluke, though he did not want to put Smith Rowe's rise down to any one aspect.
"I think it's a combination of everything," Arteta said when asked if England recognition had been a factor in Smith Rowe's form.
"It's in his nature. Obviously, he needs to feel that confidence around the coaching staff, that we are the right people to guide him and take him to the next level.
"He needs his team-mates because they are big contributors to what he can do on the pitch. He needs to feel loved, have the right environment around him – his family, girlfriend, whatever is next to him – and when that happens he's got a good chance.
"The numbers should be looking something like this and it's not a coincidence. He's practising every day, he's working, he's open. He has willingness to do it because he knows he has the qualities and capacity to do it and that's what we have to demand from players whether they are 19, 20, or 35."
Salt century gives England winning start to West Indies T20 series
Phil Salt hit a superb century as England drew first blood in their T20 series against West Indies, with a commanding eight-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval.
Salt's unbeaten 103 off 54 balls was the highlight for the tourists, who successfully chased down their target of 183 with 19 balls to spare.
The West Indies endured a difficult start and were reduced to 18-3 and later 117-8, with Saqib Mahmood (4-34) and Adil Rashid (3-32) doing the damage.
However, the hosts managed 65 runs in the last 5.2 overs to finish at 182-8, with Gukadesh Motie knocking 33 off 14 balls along the way.
Salt kick-started England's chase with 50 off just 25 deliveries taking them to 73-1 after six overs, with Will Jacks (17) dismissed with the final ball of the powerplay.
Jos Buttler's first match after four months out lasted just three minutes, as the skipper was caught by Motie for a golden duck.
However, it proved a false dawn for West Indies, with Salt and Jacob Bethall (58 from 36 balls) safely steering England to victory.
Data Debrief: Salt completes hat-trick of hundreds as Bethell makes historic half-century
England put their disappointing ODI series behind them, making history with the highest T20 chase at the Kensington Oval.
Salt was the hero with his third T20I century, all of which have come against West Indies in the past 12 months.
Bethell also made history on Saturday. Aged 21 years and 17 days, he become the youngest England player to score a 50 in a T20I.
Crystal Palace 0-2 Fulham: Smith Rowe and Wilson send Silva's side up to sixth
Emile Smith Rowe and Harry Wilson were on target in either half as Fulham triumphed 2-0 over 10-man Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Smith Rowe broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time, taking Raul Jimenez's pass into his stride before finishing past Dean Henderson.
Fulham forward Smith Rowe had another goal ruled out in the second half for offside, before Daichi Kamada's 76th-minute red card for a poor challenge on Kenny Tete made matters worse for the hosts.
Wilson, the two-goal hero against Brentford on Monday, made sure of all three points with seven minutes remaining, latching onto Alex Iwobi's superb throughball and slotting home.
The Wales international saw another late strike overturned for handball, but another London derby victory moved Marco Silva's side up to sixth place and saw them join a cluster of sides on 18 points.
Meanwhile, Palace's sixth league defeat of the season leaves them 17th and just a point clear of the relegation zone heading into the international break.
Data Debrief: Cottagers extend streak as super sub Wilson strikes again
Fulham have now kept a clean sheet in each of their last four away league games against Palace, not going longer without conceding against a single opponent on the road.
Now unbeaten in seven Premier League London derbies, the Cottagers are now on their joint-longest run without defeat in such matches.
Wilson sealed the victory with his third goal as a substitute in the space of a week. Only Collins John (four) has netted more times as a substitute for Fulham in a single season than the Wales international.
A difficult day for Palace was worsened by Kamada's dismissal. Three of the Eagles' last six Premier League red cards have come against the Cottagers, against no other side have they seen more.
Al-Riyadh 0-1 Al-Nassr: Mane hands visitors bragging rights
Sadio Mane's first-half strike ensured Al-Nassr maintained their unbeaten start to the Saudi Pro League season with a 1-0 win over rivals Al-Riyadh.
He smartly finished from close range in the 41st minute, with his goal enough to seal the three points and move Al-Nassr up to third in the table.
Al-Nassr's threat grew as the first half went on, with Milan Borjan making a fine double stop to deny Ronaldo and Talisca once again before Mohamed Simakan struck the post on the rebound.
Mane would eventually break the deadlock in the 41st minute though, darting in front of his marker to meet Abdulrahman Ghareeb's low cross and rifle it into the roof of the net.
The Senegalese striker arguably should have doubled his tally before the break, but was denied by Borjan's stretching save when one-on-one with the Canadian.
Talisca should have wrapped up the points in the final three minutes, but he blazed over an empty net from close range, before having a late goal disallowed for offside.
Data Debrief: Derby delight for Al-Nassr
After drawing their last two matches, this win was a welcome result for Al-Nassr as they racked up their sixth victory of the season to close the gap at the top of the table to six points.
It is just the second time Al-Nassr have avoided defeat in their first 10 matches of a Pro League campaign, last doing so in 2013-14, when they won the league title.
They are now unbeaten in their last seven Pro League derbies (W4 D3), their longest such streak since a run of nine between 2018 and 2020.
This is the first time in eight such games that they have kept a clean sheet though, and limited their opponents to just five shots throughout.
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