Jack Wilshere (left) has established himself as a key player in Arsenal’s midfield.Jack Wilshere (left) has established himself as a key player in Arsenal’s midfield.

Jack Wilshere’s knack for scoring goals when least expected has made him a mainstay for Arsenal.

Born on January 1, 1992 in Stevenage, Wilshere started his youth career with Luton Town in 2001 but soon switched to north London giants Arsenal.

Wilshere made his first appearance for the senior team in 2008, becoming Arsenal’s youngest ever league debutant.

Since then, he has won a number of accolades including the PFA Young Player of the Year award nomination in 2010-11, PFA Team of the Year and Arsenal’s Player of the Season as voted for by the fans.

Wilshere is an England international, having previously represented his country at under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-21 levels.

He made his debut for the senior team against Hungary at the age of 18 years and 222 days, making him the 10th youngest debutant in the national team’s history.

Manager Arsene Wenger handed Wilshere a place in Arsenal’s first-team squad at the start of season 2008-09.

He made his competitive debut in a Premier League match against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park in September 2008, coming on as a substitute for Robin van Persie.

At the age of 16 years and 256 days, he was Arsenal’s youngest-ever league debutant, a record previously held by Cesc Fabregas.

On September 23, Wilshere scored his first competitive goal.

He then became the fifth 16-year-old to ever play in the Champions League against Dynamo Kiev. Two months later he signed his first professional terms for the Gunners.

Wilshere joined Premier League side Bolton Wanderers on loan until the end of the 2009-10 season.

At the start of the following season, Wilshere earned his first England cap on August 12, 2010.

National team coach Fabio Capello gave the Arsenal youngster his debut in the Wembley friendly against Hungary, winning 2-1. He came on as a substitute for Steven Gerrard.

Trouble struck at the start of the 2011-12 campaign when Wilshere suffered a stress fracture in his ankle and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.

He finally made his return to the first team, making his first Premier League start in 17 months in the win over QPR. The 20-year-old left an immediate impact, turning in a typically combative performance that saw him crowned man of the match.

Wilshere continued to produce excellent displays and, on one occasion, he was also handed the captain’s armband when skipper Thomas Vermaelen went off injured against West Ham.

Wilshere started the 2013-14 season playing on the left side as Arsenal’s first-team wingers Lukas Podolski, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott were sidelined with injuries.

He scored his first goal of the season on October 6 in a 1-1 draw away to West Brom. His first career double came in the 2-0 win at Marseille in the Champions League, the first being the fastest goal scored by an English player in Europe’s top-tier competition, which was timed at 29 seconds.

On March 6, Wilshere featured for England in a friendly against Denmark but injuries came back to haunt the robust midfielder. The Arsenal talisman was sidelined for six weeks after suffering another hairline fracture in his left foot.

However, on May 17, Wilshere came on as an extra-time substitute in the 2014 FA Cup final, helping Arsenal beat Hull City 3-2 at Wembley Stadium.

This season, Wilshere ap-peared for the Arsenal side that won the FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium against Manchester City.

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