Wilshere - I want to take responsibility

Jack Wilshere is happy to take more responsibility - both on and off the pitch.

The 21-year-old has established himself in the Arsenal midfield since becoming the Club's youngest Premier League and Champions League player at the age of 16. Wilshere has already made 113 appearances - despite missing a season through injury - and he feels ready to help the likes of Thomas Vermaelen and Mikel Arteta in the dressing room.

Wilshere has grown up as a footballer and he believes that becoming a father of two has helped him mature as a man too.

"Yes, 100 per cent," he told Arsenal Player in an exclusive Close Up interview. "When you become a father, not for just the first time but the second time as well, and you have a little girl, it makes you think about life.

"You put them [my children] first. Before I was an 18-year-old doing what I wanted. I would get home from football and I would sleep and do what I want. I would go round my friends for dinner and stuff.

"Archie came along and things changed, you put him first, you want to see him and when the second one comes round it's the same. It's so busy now with two kids, you don't have time for your friends - you go to football and you go home, you see your kids and then you're in bed by nine o'clock. A lot of things change and you do a lot of growing up."

That extends to the football pitch too - and Wilshere is learning leadership from some of the best.

"At the moment I would probably say it's the best atmosphere I've ever been in the dressing room," he said. "There are some real characters in there, some funny guys and some serious guys, there are professional guys who want to get things done and don't like people being late, so everyone's disciplined.

"From the team that I first broke into a lot of them have gone so I'm one of the few who's been around, there's Bac [Sagna] as well but I'm one of the only midfielders who has been around for a while.

"Mikel [Arteta] came in, he was the captain at Everton and he's the vice-captain here and you can tell by the way he is off the pitch, even when he was injured he was in the dressing room and giving us support. I do feel a bit of responsibility but I have players around to help me.

"I've grown up at this club and I have captained the Club at under-16 level, under-18 level and last season as well I got the armband for 20 minutes or so [against West Ham in January] which was a nice feeling. I want to do that [be a leader] for this club."