Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted midfielder Jack Wilshere
will play for the club again this season, but says he will be out for
eight weeks with the fractured foot he suffered in England’s game
against Denmark on Wednesday.
A statement from Arsenal and the Football Association on
Thursday suggested Wilshere would face six weeks on the sidelines, but
Wenger’s confirmation that his 22-year-old midfielder is unlikely to
play until early May casts serious doubts over his chances of playing
for the Gunners again in this campaign.
Wilshere had initially been tipped to return for Arsenal’s game against
Hull in late April, but the latest timescale on his recovery means he
may only be fit to return for the Gunners’ final Premier League game of
the season against Norwich on May 11.
“Jack will play again [for Arsenal] this season,” Wenger said. “He will
be out for a maximum of six weeks before he can absorb training.
“He will work on his fitness during his injury. Two weeks after, he should be competitive, so to play in a game eight weeks.
“It is a blow for him and for us. From now on, we want him to recover
as quickly as possible and get him to come back as quickly as possible
and prepare for the rest of the season.
“You can only be very down in a situation like that, especially in the
first few days. He is in a boot and he has gone away for a few days to
get away from the trouble, the disappointment and think about something
else.
“It is certainly very difficult at [Wilshere’s] age to have injuries.
“You want to jump out of bed, go on a football pitch and play. When you
can’t do that, it is difficult mentally. I hope it is his last accident
for a long, long time.”
Wenger went on to dismiss suggestions that he was frustrated by
Wilshere’s decision to continue in the England game against Denmark
after he took the knock on his foot, as he stressed there was no
ill-feeling towards anyone involved in the incident.
“It is an accident. The tackle was strong, but I think he wanted to go
for the ball,” Wenger said of the challenge from Liverpool defender
Daniel Agger at Wembley, before he was asked about Wilshere’s continued
stay on the pitch after the challenge.
“At some stage, it is the player that gives you an indication. You give
him a few minutes to see how he feels and if there is no pain, you
carry on. We are not at the point where you can have an instant X-Ray to
see how the damage is. We are all sorry for him.”
Wenger said Arsenal have not discussed the prospect of the club
receiving compensation from the English FA following Wilshere’s injury
and was keen to confirm he is eager to see him take to the field at the
World Cup finals next summer.
“Any player who has an opportunity to go to the World Cup, you don’t
want to talk him out of that,” added Wenger. “You want to encourage him
to go to the World Cup because the meaning to go to the World Cup is
immense. I will do everything to help him to get there.
“A fracture is a fracture. It’s not muscular or ligament. Once it is
healed there is no reason to have a restriction in your preparation.”
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