Jack Wilshere makes his debut in Denmark, ending his lengthy spell away from the pitch

Jack Wilshere made his long-awaited return to football when he came on as a second half substitute for Aarhus on Friday night.

Having been released by Bournemouth last summer, Wilshere had not played competitively since the Championship play-offs in May.

He had been training with his former club Arsenal in recent months, but was not offered a contract by manager Mikel Arteta. 

He got straight into the thick of the action in his first appearance in over nine months

Earlier this week, the 30-year-old finally confirmed that he had found a new club when he agreed to join Danish side Aarhus until the end of the season.

He was thrown straight into the matchday squad for their clash with Vejle-Boldklub on Friday, although he did have to settle for a place on the substitutes’ bench.

With the game delicately poised at 2-2, Wilshere was introduced to the action in the final minute of normal time.

Despite his best efforts, Wilshere ended up on the losing side as Aarhus suffered a 3-2 defeat

He was unable to make the desired impact, though, as Vejle grabbed a dramatic winner deep into added time through Mouhamadou Drammeh.

That result leaves Aarhus in seventh place on 24 points after 19 matches, while Vejle have now climbed off the foot of the table.

Despite the disappointing defeat, Wilshere is likely to be pleased to get back on the pitch after a lengthy absence.

He may now be targeting a start when Aarhus return to action next month.

Wilshere’s first home match since arriving at the club is due to be against Nordsjaelland on March 7.