Jack Wilshere reveals what Newcastle manager Eddie Howe did better than Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger

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Luton manager Jack Wilshere has made a big claim about his time working under Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe.

Wilshere played for Howe during a loan spell at Bournemouth during the 2016/17 season.

The former England international has played under some big-name managers. Arsene Wenger, Manuel Pellegrini, David Moyes and Fabio Capello all coached the midfielder during his playing career. 

Wilshere, of course, was once one of the most exciting talents in English football. However, injuries saw his career stall somewhat and he perhaps never really reached the heights many had predicted for him.

At the age of 33, Wilshere has moved into the managerial game. He’s been appointed as Luton boss and will now attempt to get the side out of League One.

• Who is Eddie Howe? The heroic manager who finally brought a trophy back to Newcastle United

Jack Wilshere says Eddie Howe was better for him than Arsene Wenger

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Wilshere has been speaking about the various managers he worked under.

In a glowing appraisal of the Newcastle United manager, Wilshere revealed that Howe was indeed the best coach he worked under in terms of actually being out on the grass at the training ground. Given he worked under Wenger and Capello, that is quite the statement.

“The best coach on the grass I’ve had is Eddie Howe,” he said.

“Because of the energy and the detail he put in. He’d get frustrated on the pitch, because he cared and he wanted it to be to a certain level. Eddie affected me tactically.

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“What Eddie taught me was, ‘we’re going to Anfield away (April 2017), we’re going to play 4-4-2, be hard to play against, hit them on the counter-attack and get a result.’ We drew 2-2. Eddie taught me you can look at a game that you want to create and actually create it. Eddie put that seed in my head.

I love Eddie because he just changed the way I saw coaching. I remember clashing with Eddie saying, ‘Gaffer, I can’t keep up with this intensity’.

“And he was ‘well, we’re going to have to pick when you train’. I said to him, ‘Some days let’s just settle down a little bit.’

“It was like I swore at him, he couldn’t believe it. ‘No, no, you need to understand it. These players, Charlie Daniels, Simon Francis, they’ve been on a journey with me since League One and we have to work in this way to compete at this level’. And we finished ninth in the Premier League.”

Eddie Howe might be Newcastle United’s greatest ever signing

PIF struck gold by appointing Howe.

Ironically enough, however, he wasn’t the first choice at Newcastle after the takeover.

Indeed, the Newcastle United owners tried to appoint Unai Emery before he snubbed them and they returned to Howe, who had been out of work after leaving Bournemouth in 2020. 

Though the money PIF have invested obviously helped, it’s hard to imagine any of Newcastle’s recent success happening without him.

Howe has a brilliant reputation as a manager and Wilshere’s comments only add to it. Though his trophy collection does not compare to Wenger’s, it’s certainly interesting to get insight from a player who played under both managers.