Jack Wilshere has revealed Arsene Wenger's response to him being pictured smoking back in 2013

Jack Wilshere has lifted the lid on Arsene Wenger's amusing response to him being caught smoking during his time playing for Arsenal.

The midfielder was pictured lighting up outside a nightclub in 2013 and he admitted to feeling fearful of how Wenger would respond to the incident.

But, speaking to Sky's Super 6 podcast, he revealed the Arsenal boss took a more supportive approach towards the midfielder than he expected.

'I look back now and realise I made mistakes,' Wilshere said. 'At the time, I thought they (the media) were picking on me.

'I had support around me, from the manager. Arsene was brilliant like that. I remember the first time I got caught with cigarette and the media put it in the paper and that didn’t really bother me, because I was confident I was doing well enough in football. 

'The one thing that was in my head was "oh my god, the boss in going to kill me". I remember going in the next day, going up to the training pitch and the boss was there.

'He was like "don’t worry, when I have a drink I like a cigarette as well!". I was like "oh my god, thank god for that!". I learnt things and it’s easier now to get caught out because of social media.'

At the time, Wilshere responded by tweeting a picture of Zinedine Zidane, the now Real Madrid manager, smoking.

Publicly, Wenger was more critical of Wilshere's actions. 

'I disagree completely with that behaviour,’ the Frenchman said. ‘First of all, when you are a footballer you are an example, and second, you don’t do what damages your health,' Wenger said. ‘You can damage your health at home. 

'You can drink at home but nobody sees it, but when you do it in public, you damage your reputation as well. What will I say to him? I will leave that between him and me.’

Wilshere is currently a free agent after having his £100,000-a-week contract torn up by West Ham in October.