Arsene Wenger has described Jack Wilshere as "brave" and "talented" after the former Arsenal and England midfielder hung up his boots on Friday.
Wilshere called time on his professional career after leaving Danish side AGF earlier this month. The former Gunners prospect was regarded as one of the best young players in Europe a decade ago but injuries and a lack of form forced him to call it a day.
Wenger, who gave Wilshere his chance at the Emirates ahead of the 2010-11 campaign, has labelled the 30-year-old's retirement as a "sad moment". The ex-manager left Arsenal at the same time as the 34-cap England international, in the summer of 2018.
"Well, for me it's a sad moment because Jack is an exceptional football player," Wenger told Sky Sports of Wilshere. "He was brave, he was talented, he wasn't scared of anybody - which is why we thought he could start at a very young age. Straight away he showed he had the ability to be a main player."
Wenger went on to say: "He was an exceptional talent but didn't play enough games because of injury and in the end that is why he's had to stop. It's very difficult for a star like he was when you cannot play at your best anymore. That's difficult to swallow. Which is why I think he's taken the right decision."
Wilshere was expected to play a big part in England's future when he made his Arsenal debut in September 2008. He made a name for himself on loan at Bolton during the 2009-10 campaign, playing 14 Premier League games to earn himself a place in Wenger's first team.
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Wilshere was at his peak during the 2010-11 term, playing 49 games in all competitions to win Arsenal's Player of the Season award and be named the PFA's Young Player of the Year. He also made his England debut, picking up his first senior cap as an 18-year-old.
Yet his career was a struggle after that season. Wilshere didn't play a single minute of the 2011-12 campaign due to injury and, despite glimpses, never fulfilled his potential at Arsenal. He left the club with 197 appearances and two FA Cups to his name.
Wilshere joined West Ham in the summer of 2018 in a bid to reignite his career but played just 19 games in two-and-a-half years. Brief spells at Bournemouth and AGF followed before he retired from the game at a relatively young age. He made 288 club outings in total.
"Today I am announcing my retirement from playing professional football," Wilshere wrote on Twitter on Friday. "It has been an unbelievable journey filled with so many incredible moments and I feel privileged to have experienced all that I did during my career.
"From being the little boy kicking a ball around in the garden to captaining my beloved Arsenal and playing for my country at a World Cup. I have lived my dream."
Wilshere went on to pay tribute to Wenger, adding: "Words will never do justice to the love and thanks I have for the boss, Arsene, [and former Arsenal assistant managers] Pat Rice and Boro Primorac. Without your belief, support and guidance from the very first day we met I wouldn't have been able to become part of the Arsenal family. I'm forever grateful to you all."
