Jack Wilshere is expected to be announced as the new head coach of Arsenal's Under-18s side following his retirement from professional football after an injury-hit career.
The former England international most recently spent the latter half of last season with Danish side Aarhus but things failed to work out as expected and the club confirmed he would not be returning last week. After a 17-year spell there as a player, Wilshere will now come back to Arsenal in a coaching capacity.
Taking to Twitter to confirm his retirement, Wilshere wrote: "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.
"In truth it has been difficult to accept that my career has been slipping away in recent times due to reasons outside of my control whilst feeling that I have still had so much to give. Having played at the very highest level I have always held such huge ambitions within the game and if I am truthful I did not envisage being in this position at times.
"However, having had time to reflect and talk with those closest with me I know that now is the right time and despite the difficult moments I look back on my career with great pride at what I have achieved."
According to The Athletic, Wilshere succeeds Dan Micciche after he left to join former Arsenal Under-23s head coach Kevin Betsy at Crawley Town. The appointment continues the trend of former Gunners players being rewarded with roles at the club after they have called time on their playing career.
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The most notable example is of course Mikel Arteta as manager of the club, but Per Mertesacker is head of the academy operations while Edu is Arsenal's technical director overseeing plenty of transfer dealings so far this window.
It was Mertesacker who helped oversee the entire hiring process for this role and handed the job to Wilshere. The pair are former teammates and are thought to have a very good working relationship.
Wilshere is rumoured to have impressed the Arsenal hierarchy when he was briefly coaching the youngsters while trying to obtain his coaching badges last season.
