Jack Wilshere revealed that before the start of the season he had received permission from coach Arsene Wenger to leave London's Arsenal.
With only a few months left on his contract, and spending the summer recovering from yet another injury, the Frenchman was determined to bid farewell to the homegrown talent.
However, despite being loaned out to Bournemouth last season, this year the midfielder managed to return to the Gunners' squad and even took on the role of captain in several matches.
"It was a sincere conversation," said Wilshere, preparing for the England national team matches. "Things had been building up for a while."
"Everyone knew that there was a year left on my contract and before that I was loaned out, got injured, and I really wasn't in his plans. He simply said, 'At this moment we are not planning to offer you a new contract, so if you can get it somewhere else, you can leave.'
Nevertheless, Wilshere decided to stay in North London, and this season he has already played 31 matches. "Of course, I wasn't happy with what the coach said, but at the same time part of me already knew it," added the 26-year-old footballer.
"All I needed was some clarity about my situation at the club. How did I feel afterwards? It made me think. He had said that I could fight for my position and if I performed well in the Carabao Cup and Europa League, then I would have a chance."
"There were only three or four weeks left until the transfer window closed, but I didn't find anything I wanted, and I wasn't completely healthy. So, I decided to regain my physical form. I always believed I could return to my place in the center of midfield and maintain it if I was healthy."
"I was in a similar situation years ago. I returned from the European Championship and got injured preparing for the season, so I wasn't in the team for the first few matches. I knew that at that stage of my career I had to play because I had missed a lot of football the previous year. I couldn't just sit on the bench, so I went to Bournemouth. Many people disagreed with that decision, but I played a lot of matches and proved that I still could do it."
"So, when the coach said I could leave, I no longer thought that I needed to play more matches. It was more important to fully recover and show my abilities. When I was at Bournemouth, returning here was always the main goal. I wanted to be here."
Wilshere scored two goals and made five assists this season.
