I wasted my Arsenal career partying and not trying in training – Arsene Wenger put me back in my place

AN ARSENAL flop admitted helium looks backmost astatine his failed spell with the Gunners with "a batch of regrets" arsenic helium ne'er fulfilled his potential.

The North Londoners ruled the Premier League successful the aboriginal 2000s on with past bitter rivals Manchester United.

That was erstwhile legendary manager Arsene Wenger decided to bring 1 of the Prem's astir breathtaking strikers implicit to Highbury successful 2001.

That was nary different than Francis Jeffers, who shone agleam with his beloved Everton the erstwhile 4 years that saw him registering a full of 18 goals and 1 assistance successful 55 appearances.

However, Jeffers ne'er lived up to the measure arsenic helium lone managed 8 goals and 3 assists successful 39 appearances passim his three-year stint with Arsenal, who loaned him backmost to the Toffees successful 2003.

The erstwhile striker conceded that helium didn't enactment hard capable successful grooming and would alternatively spell retired partying.

The ex-England planetary downed tools arsenic helium thought helium wouldn't play anyway, with the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Sylvain Wiltord and Nwankwo Kanu up of him successful the pecking order.

That is wherefore Wenger gave him a "fair ace of the whip", which helium insists was precise well-deserved arsenic helium enactment him backmost successful his place.

Nevertheless, the ex-Charlton ace is adamant helium didn't "throw it each away" arsenic helium realised a batch of dreams passim his career.

Jeffers told The Independent backmost successful 2014: "I was retired partying, surviving life, tossing it disconnected successful grooming due to the fact that I ever thought I wouldn’t play Saturday anyway.

"Now, I look backmost with a batch of regrets. That is wherever I should person been putting it successful more. Wenger gave maine a just ace of the whip.

"I haven’t got a atrocious connection to accidental astir him. He tells you however it is, 1 of the lone managers I played for who did.

“He said determination were things going connected successful my caput that shouldn’t person been and that it was an important clip successful my career. I americium not saying I threw it each away, due to the fact that I had a decent career.

“I fulfilled a batch of ambitions but I ever accidental it, I cognize however overmuch quality I had.

"I’m not soft. I cognize however bully a subordinate I was. One England headdress wasn’t enough.”