AGF Aarhus have denied that they have signed former Arsenal man Jack Wilshere as a publicity stunt, insisting he has plenty to offer still.
The Englishman has been without a club since being released by Bournemouth in July 2021 but has now moved to Denmark to resume his career.
Wilshere himself also revealed that a former England manager played at least a small part in his decision to move to Denmark.
What's been said?
Speaking to Sky Sports, Wilshere said: "It all happened really quick. I had a conversation with one of the coaches, David Reddington. He explained to me about the club, how good it is and how much I'd enjoy it.
"He worked with someone I worked with closely, Roy Hodgson, who I enjoyed working with. I knew Dave would have a similar way of doing things. Then I spoke with the head coach and really liked what they were saying.
"I always said that in my career I wanted to try something different. I think now was the right time to step out of my comfort zone, step out of England and try something different."
Wilshere added: "I'm not fully match fit because I've not played, and the only way to get match fit is to play matches. But what I would say is I've been training for a long period of time with good players.
"I'm ready to play, I'm ready to be selected by the manager and I'm looking forward to it. As a footballer the best thing is playing games."
AGF boss David Nielsen said: "This is not a publicity stunt. [Wilshere] is a skilled football player who we think can help us, and we think we can help him. We have done this to make our team better.
"We will make sure that he feels like a good part of the squad.
"Denmark has a good reputation. It is a place where people want to live. He has lived in London, and now he will be able to live in Aarhus. It is an even better place to live!"
What happened to Wilshere?
Wilshere was allowed to leave Arsenal on a loan spell to Bournemouth back in 2016 before subsequently joining West Ham on a free transfer in 2018.
In 2020, the midfielder was released by the London club and only returned to Bournemouth in 2021, having been signed as a free agent that time around.
Wilshere's reputation as an injury-prone player saw him consistently dropped by clubs who lacked faith in his ability to remain fit despite his obvious talent and caps on the international stage with England.