England midfielder Jack Wilshere has committed his long term future to Arsenal with a new deal. The 18-year-old, who has established himself in the Gunners first team this season, has been with the club since the age of nine and made his England debut against Hungary in August.
Wilshere, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Bolton, became Arsenal's youngest ever league player when he made his debut against Blackburn in September 2008, and the youngest player to represent them in Europe aged 16 and 329 days in November of the same year.
"Arsenal Football Club has been like a second home for me and my family since I was nine years old," Wilshere said.
"To be offered a new contract means everything to me.
"At this point in my career, when I'm only 18 years old and still learning so much about the game and myself, this is the perfect club, the perfect team-mates, the perfect fans the perfect backroom staff and most importantly, the perfect manager to help continue that."
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger believes Wilshere could reach the pinnacle of football.
"It's such great news that Jack has committed his long-term future to the club," he said.
"Jack is a fantastic footballer with a huge amount of potential, and we have all seen with his performances so far that he is a very gifted player who could be an extremely influential player at the top level of the game.
"At still only 18 years of age, there is still so much more to come from him and we're all excited by the fact that Jack Wilshere will be an Arsenal player for years to come."
