Jack Wilshere reveals England axe made him quit Arsenal for game time at Bournemouth
Says Cherries' loanee: 'I wasn't in it, it hurt me. I feel like I'm good enough...when I was left out, it sparked something'
JACK WILSHERE has lifted the lid on his loan move to Bournemouth.
The Arsenal midfielder says that being left out of Sam Allardyce's England squad convinced him about a switch to the south coast.
Injury-prone Wilshere, 24, played more games for England than he did for Arsenal last season.
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And when Sam Allardyce axed him from the national team in late August it forced him to accept his situation at Arsenal.
Life is looking up, though. Wilshere has completed the full 90 minutes of Bournemouth's last two Premier League games and is desperate to spark his flagging career back into life.
He explained: "When the England squad was announced and I wasn't in it, it hurt me. I feel like I'm good enough, I can make a difference in the team and when I was left out, it sparked something in me.
"I thought 'I need a change. I need to be part of a team where I'm going to play week in, week out, be an important member of the team and make a difference.'
"The player I am and the character I am, to get the best out of me I need to feel responsibility and be part of a team that needs me, so that's the main reason I came - to play football and prove to everyone I can play week in, week out.
"My body can take it and at the moment, I'm feeling good and it looks like a good decision."
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There will be only one year left on his Arsenal contract when he returns to north London in May. But Wilshere is playing it cool.
"I don't want to think about that at the moment because I want to go back having had a good season - not just being fit, but I want to have an effect on the team," he told.
"I want to improve as a player and go back at the end of May and they can say he's a better player than when he left in September.
"I love Arsenal. I love the fans. The manager has been great to me and been a big part of my life from when I was 10 years old. I've got good friends there, players, the staff and people will laugh, but the physios too. I've become close with them.
"So I don't want to say I'm never going to go back there but at the same time, I'm not really thinking about that. My focus is helping Bournemouth climb the table and improving myself as a player."
And Bournemouth? "I'm enjoying training every day," he added. "I'm feeling fit and confident and it's only just come in the last couple of weeks.
"When I first came here, I was excited and ready, but it took me a few games to get up to speed with the Premier League and in the game against Tottenham, I felt really fit.
"I can last 90 minutes, I can try different things on the pitch, my confidence is back and hopefully I can build on that now and get many more 90 minutes."