‘Seriously, he’s one of the best I’ve played with’

We’ll all miss seeing Tomas Rosicky on the pitch, especially Jack Wilshere.

The former Czech Republic international retired from professional football on Wednesday, ending his career at Sparta Prague after making 246 appearances for us between 2006 and 2016.

Wilshere played alongside Rosicky regularly in north London, and says the 37-year-old has been one of his biggest influences on and off the pitch.

“This is me being deadly serious, he is one of the best I've played with in terms of what I wanted to be as a player,” Wilshere told Arsenal Player. “He picked the ball up and he drove at the opposition, not many players do that from midfield.

“You always think of a winger or a striker, but he used to pick the ball up in midfield and just want to create things. He had that yard of pace with the ball that got him away from defenders, that's what I wanted to do.

“He was a great lad too, he helped me massively. I only found out 10 minutes ago that he retired, that's a bit of a shock, but he gave so much for Arsenal. I know he struggled a lot with injury problems and we were in the gym quite a lot together so we've got a good relationship, but he's finally had enough and he says his body can't cope with it.

“The career he had and the joy he brought to the fans, they loved him here. He will be missed in the world of football. I'm sure he will go on in football, he's a football man, he's got a football brain and has still got a lot to give to the game.”