Jack Wilshere to Manchester City: Arsenal midfielder rules out any chance of leaving as long as Gunners still want him

Wilshere has been linked with a move to the Etihad to help fill their home-grown player quota but the England international says he doesn't want to leave

Jack Wilshere insists he will not leave Arsenal (Getty Images)

Jack Wilshere has given Arsenal fans an early boost ahead of the new season after admitting he has no intention of leaving the club to join Manchester City while the Gunners still want him.

The 23-year-old has been linked with a move north to the Etihad this summer after finding himself on the fringes to the Arsenal first team since returning from a long-term ankle injury, which kept him out for the best part of six months.

With City needing to sign home-grown players this summer in order to fulfil their quota of British players following the departures of James Milner, Micah Richards and Frank Lampard, Wilshere had been marked out as a possible transfer target, but the England international has made it perfectly clear that he has no intention of leaving the FA Cup winners any time soon.

"I wouldn't go somewhere just because I'm a home-grown player," said Wilshere ahead of England’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Slovenia on Sunday.

"I'd want to be wanted by a club; I want to be wanted by Arsenal."

He added: "I've grown up at Arsenal. As long as Arsenal want me, I'm happy."

With his club commitments focused on Arsenal, Wilshere also explained how he assessed the way he plays with the ball in his possession during his time on the sidelines after some felt that his style lead him to be prone to injuries.

Wilshere has shown a talent for running with the ball at his feet, but that has led to criticism that sometimes he doesn’t pass when the time is right and risks getting hurt in tackles by defenders. Wilshere was legally tackled by Paddy McNair during Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over the Gunners in November that caused him significant damage to his ankle and forced him to miss four months of football before a setback meant an extra two months of frustration.

England midfielder Jack Wilshere (Getty Images)

However, Wilshere has taken inspiration from Barcelona pair Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, and revealed that he could look to work on his game ever so slightly to keep the ball closer to his feet and give him more control against defenders.

"When I was injured, I read a few people who said I should think about making changes to my approach," he said.

"I thought 'maybe they are right. Maybe I should just change it a little bit'. But in my first game back, naturally I just want to pick the ball up and run with it.

"I can't change that. I can work on a few things maybe. If you look at the best dribblers in the world - Messi, Iniesta - when they are running with the ball it is always close to them so maybe I could work on that.

"But I definitely won't be changing my game."