Jack Wilshere announces retirement from football

Injuries plagued the latter years of his career

Jack Wilshere has announced his retirement from football at the age of 30. He will now take on a role as Arsenal's U18 coach, as reported by The Athletic. The former Arsenal midfielder broke onto the scene in the late noughties as a teenager and was touted to become one of England's greatest ever players. But after a series of injuries plagued his mid-20s, Wilshere failed to rediscover the magic that he showed at the start of his career. After leaving Arsenal, Wilshere had spells at Bournemouth, West Ham and most recently played in Denmark, for AGF Aarhus. In a statement posted to social media, Wilshere said: "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." He went on to explain that "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 I still had so much more to give." He concluded his statement by thanking Arsenal fans for always backing him, writing: "I'll forever be a Gooner." https://twitter.com/JackWilshere/status/1545372079163318273 Wilshere followed his statement with a compilation video of his best career moments. You can watch, and maybe shed a tear, below. https://www.instagram.com/p/CfwAkJqI0rz/