Jack Wilshere credits Arteta with shaping his coaching approach at Luton

Jack Wilshere has credited Mikel Arteta with helping him understand how to turn his playing knowledge into coaching methods, as he approaches his first anniversary as Luton Town manager. Speaking to BBC Sport's Kelly Somers for The Football Interview, the former Arsenal and England midfielder described learning from Arteta while working with Arsenal's academy before taking his first permanent senior management job.

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Wilshere said he watched Arteta coach, asked questions about the thinking behind his decisions and then had opportunities to apply those lessons with the under-18s. Their previous relationship as Arsenal team-mates allowed him to seek detailed explanations. He said the challenge was not simply understanding what a manager wanted, but learning how to communicate ideas, organise training and achieve the intended results from a session.

The 34-year-old will reach a year in charge of Luton on 13 October. According to the BBC, he has already led the club to the EFL Trophy, with a 3-1 victory over Stockport County at Wembley in April. His aim this season is promotion to the Championship. Before joining Luton, where he had played as a child, Wilshere also had a two-match spell as Norwich City's interim manager.

His move into coaching followed retirement at 30 after a playing career disrupted by injuries. Wilshere told the BBC he retired on a Monday and was working with Arsenal's under-18s the following day. Despite that early ending, he said pride was his strongest feeling about a career that included two FA Cup wins, 182 Premier League appearances and 34 England caps, including appearances at the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.

Wilshere also discussed coaching Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman at Arsenal. He recalled giving Dowman an under-18 appearance at 13 and quickly concluding that the youngster could handle the level. Those experiences formed part of his account of developing young players, alongside lessons drawn from mistakes in his own playing career.

At Luton, Wilshere said that approach combines clear standards and accountability with opportunities for players to learn after getting things wrong. He stressed the importance of strong relationships, hard work and clarity about expectations. The BBC highlighted Luton's opening-day comeback against Reading, when his side recovered from a 3-1 half-time deficit to win 4-3.