Glen Riddersholm on Norwich City's Jack Wilshere hire

The Canaries confirmed the hire of the former Arsenal and England international midfielder earlier this week, and Wilshere began work at Colney on Thursday as a first-team coach in Johannes Hoff Thorup's backroom team. 

Riddersholm, City's assistant, was involved in the process with Thorup and sporting director Ben Knapper to source a replacement for Narcis Pelach after his departure to join Stoke as head coach last month. 

The vastly experienced Dane has explained why Wilshere emerged as their preferred candidate after holding talks with multiple coaches. 

"We're really happy that Jack is in. He will be a great supplement to the staff that we have around the team," Riddersholm said. "With his career and how we are getting to know him from our meetings, we're looking forward to him being there on the training ground. 

"He is really calm. He came across as a really honest guy; there is no big ego, and that fits into how Norwich City football club works, as well as here in Norfolk.

"I think he will come across as a really great guy who can help everyone else and make us successful in the future." 

Neither Thorup nor Riddersholm enjoyed professional careers, instead focusing on coaching and the addition of Wilshere is one that adds a different type of expertise onto the staff, with the former Arsenal man bringing experiences of a high-profile playing career to Norfolk.  

That ability to inspire the Canaries' young talent, coupled with his playing style whilst in charge of Arsenal's youngsters, made him the standout candidate for the role. 

"Both Johannes and I have in the past had a lot of great personalities in our coaching staffs, so we know how to deal with ex-professional players with great careers behind them.

Jack Wilshere will join Johannes Hoff Thorup and Glen Riddersholm at Norwich City. (Image: Martyn Haworth/Focus Images Ltd) "What I like about this is that Jack plays a style of play and comes from an environment that is ball-orientated. He has been there on the big stage, and that obviously can help our environment and the players," the Dane said. 

"He will be a very important part of the team around the team, and that's what it is about. For Jack, early in his coaching career, he was around the under-18s, which is a very important step in understanding football, people and coaching.

"Right now, he is a great club where he will get the time to grow. I don't like to talk about the future, only the present time, in that last few weeks we have worked very hard when Narcis wasn't in. We're looking forward to getting an extra guy on board.

"Like everyone else, he needs time to adapt, but I'm really looking forward to working with him." 

Wilshere has swapped the comfort and familiarity of working at Arsenal for a first-team environment at Carrow Road to progress his coaching career. 

The 32-year-old's willingness to take that step shows the appeal of what Thorup and Riddersholm are creating at Carrow Road but also displays Wilshere's desire to move to Norfolk. 

"He can see the project and that he can play an important part here but also use it for his own development," Riddersholm said. 

"It's not an easy decision to leave everything and move the family here. It shows that he is really committed.

"My impression is when you make a decision like that, he has really thought it through. We are just welcoming him here, and we're looking forward to working with him." 

- Watch the full interview with Norwich City's assistant head coach Glen Riddersholm below, speaking after a Norwich City Fans Social Club event alongside Johannes Hoff Thorup 👇