Wilshere vows to answer critics on the pitch

The England international has faced criticism over his attitude during pre-season after he was photographed smoking on holiday.

That misdemeanour followed a season in which Wilshere was limited to just 19 Premier League starts, largely due to a broken foot sustained in March, while he also failed to make an impact at the World Cup with England.

Wilshere admits he made a mistake in smoking, but has promised to silence those who have questioned his professionalism by starring for Arsene Wenger's men this term.

"The smoking? Of course I regret it," he said. "I've been seen before doing it. I said then I made a mistake and I have made a mistake again. People make mistakes.

"I'm young and I'll learn from it. I realise the consequences it has and the effect on kids growing up. I have kids myself and I don't want them growing up to think their dad smokes and it's okay for a footballer to smoke because it's not.

"It's unacceptable and I will accept the consequences and I will move on."

On silencing his critics, he added: "It does motivate me to try harder in training and not just in training; it motivates me to improve because a lot of people have started to talk [about me] - people who don't know me but want to have an opinion.

"This is a big season for me. I came back early to pre-season to show people my commitment. I am fully committed to the club and to my job and I want to show everyone that.

"Over the past few seasons I've had a few injuries. This season I'm looking to have a really great pre-season and get a really good base of fitness and take that into the season."