The 18-year-old England international has committed himself to the Gunners by penning the new deal midway through a season that has seen him develop into a first-team player at the Emirates Stadium. Wilshere, who has been with the club since he was nine, has made eight Premier League appearances this season and has figured in all three of the club's Champions League games so far. And Gunners boss Wenger, who has overseen Wilshere's development, including making the decision to loan him to Bolton last season, is confident the teenager can now kick on to even better things. "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." Wilshere, who became Arsenal's youngest league player when he faced Blackburn in September 2008 aged 16 years and 256 days, and their youngest European player against Dynamo Kiev in the November of that year, made his full England debut against Hungary in August. And like his manager, Wilshere believes he has plenty more to offer the club in the coming years. "I've got a long way to go before I can become the player I dream of becoming and I'm sure I'll keep making the odd mistake, but it is a massive help for me having a special manager like Arsene Wenger and so many quality team-mates and the unbelievable Arsenal fans around me," he said. "I believe there is a lot more to come from me. "I've been at the club for almost 10 years already, so I would like to thank everyone that has been part of getting me this far, especially people like Liam Brady, Roy Massey and all his staff at the Hale End Academy. "Also Neil Banfield, Steve Bould, academy coach Steve Leonard, academy scout Bob Arber, assistant head of youth development David Court, all the backroom staff, Arsene Wenger, all my team-mates and, of course, my family." While Wilshere has decided to extend his stay with the club, another young midfielder, Wales international Aaron Ramsey, remains over a month away from fitness according to Wenger. The 19-year-old is close to a return to full training following his leg break against Stoke in February, but Wenger has no plans to rush him back. "Aaron should be in full training next Friday," Wenger told club website www.arsenal.com. "But then you have to give him at least one month competition with the reserve team."
