Jack Wilshere has revealed he is still waiting to hold talks with manager Arsene Wenger over a new Arsenal deal.
The 25-year-old made his first Premier League start for the Gunners in 577 days as they were held to a 0-0 draw at London Stadium.
Although the result left Arsenal 19 points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City and outside the top four, Wilshere seized his chance on a personal level with an encouraging performance which could prove timely given his contract status at the club.
He has just over six months remaining on his existing agreement and is free to talk to overseas clubs should he wish from January 1.
Wenger claimed that the club would sit down with Wilshere this month to clarify the situation, with the Gunners boss keen for the midfielder to stay and the player himself reluctant to move yet desperate to secure regular first-team action in order to force his way into contention for England’s World Cup squad.
However, Wilshere told Standard Sport: “There’s no update. We’re in the same position we were in two weeks ago.
“There’s not really a date in the diary for talks. I’ve only read what he’s said in the media. At the moment, I’ve just played my first game in the Premier League. I’m concentrating on staying fit and staying in its team. That will look after itself and when it’s the right time, I’m sure the boss will pull me so we can have a chat.
“I got my first Premier League start tonight and I’m buzzing. I’m happy about that. I’ve said before that the next step for me is to get into this Premier League team and try to stay in this team.
“There’s another game on Saturday [against Newcastle], we’ll see what the boss does then. At the moment that’s all I’m focused on. This time of the year is probably the most important time of the season.
“The games come thick and fast and that’s a good thing because we dropped points tonight but have the chance to get three points on Saturday. We need to recover now and be ready for that.”
Wilshere has featured in every Europa League match this season – starting five of the six group games – but admitted a return to 90 minutes of League football required further improvement.
“I think the pace is higher [in the Premier League],” he said. “You don’t get much time, the tempo is obviously faster, the defenders are obviously a little bit stronger in the Premier League. If you’re not willing to fight and tackle… you have to be able to do everything. You have to go forward, then defend when the move breaks down. That makes it a bit more difficult, but I enjoyed playing in midfield and hopefully I get some more opportunities.
“I’m happy. I said before that I was happy, I was just waiting for my opportunity. It came and I think I took it well. You don’t get that much time on the ball, when you receive it you always have to check your shoulder because there’s not much space in behind the midfield against teams like this.
“That’s where I like to play. I’m happy with the 90 minutes. Unfortunately we didn’t win. It would’ve been better if we had won, but I’m happy to be involved.”