Arsene Wenger has refused to put a date on Jack Wilshere’s return to first team action claiming Arsenal must ‘respect’ the player’s recovery.
The midfielder, who required an operation on his ankle in November, had returned to first team training at the end of last month, but is again on the sidelines after requiring a follow-up procedure.
The boss had stressed at the time of the latest surgery, undertaken to remove buttons from the troublesome joint, that the midfielder’s return would be delayed by a matter of days not weeks.
Speaking to press ahead of Saturday’s game with West Ham the boss hinted that Wilshere now won’t be available until at least April.
“It’s very difficult to say when he will be back. We have to respect his recovery.”
Meanwhile, Wilshere has lauded the progress of his former youth team midfield compatriot, Francis Coquelin, who has become a key presence in the Arsenal side over the last couple of months.
Speaking to the official match day programme, he said, “I used to wind him up by saying, ‘Listen, you do all the dirty work and the tackling and then let me have the ball!’
“But the thing is, he loves that side of it. He’s really good at it, he’s tenacious, the way he always goes after the ball. Not everyone has that ability to win the ball back and to be aggressive.
“I think there’s much more to come from him as well. He’s a great defensive midfielder, but going forward he was always a threat in the youth team. I think he can score goals too.”
Weird, I thought the video of him jumping around was impressive. He’s not going to have much/any impact on this season, seeing Ramsey, Coq, Cazorla and others are more likely to get chosen.
Good luck for next season.
Possibly not on the field but I get concerned when he’s hinting that Coq has got goals in him. We really don’t want him to get alexsongitus and charge up the field looking for glory. We have enough goal scorers thank you Jack!
Alexsongitus! Brilliant, thanks for the Friday laugh!
Bad news for JW10. Hope that I’m ultimately wrong but so far his arsenal career is not developing the way I thought it would.
I think you are right. The way he started off was impressive but it’s been a slow down hill gradient ever since. Needs regular games to raise his level of play but niggly injuries have prevented this. Still a new season may help.
He’ll get there. He played really well earlier in the season – always does when he can stay fit – and scored that peach against City. His talent is outstanding. How old is he now, 23? I think in two or three years he’ll be the best English player around, or at least on the same level as Sterling. It’s all about staying fit.
Coq and jack are both aggressive and have leadership qualities. Can’t wait to see them both side by side. Jack has a quick burst of pace and with proper defensive cover one can only wonder how well they can compliment each other.
That would be ideal…. if Jack was then only B2B CM we had.
Sadly, not only is he not the only one, it’s hard to argue he’s even the best one we have.
Nobody wants to admit it, but Jack hugely unbalanced this squad. Our ill-fated and quite frankly ridiculous 4-1-4-1 formation early this season was due to Wenger trying to force him into the squad along with Ramsey, Ozil and Cazorla, and they all suffered from it.
I really don’t know what’s the deal with JW. Or maybe I do, but I don’t want to admit it to myself.
oh man, how I hated that bit about “admitting…”! so true mate, makes me crinch, because it’s truth. One of our brightest talents, always hampered by injury, still made good progress and has now hit a bit more than a slump. Our hopes, or mine at least, of him being our own interpretation of Gerrard has probably died a little bit. Despite his injuries, slumps and ciggies I still have a faint glimmer of hope, that just “maybe”, just a tiny weeny bit maybe, next season he “could potentially play really well for more than a week without breaking. Along… Read more »
I’m still not convinced. I think there were too many new players and the team was struggling to find an identity anyway, Wilshere’s inconsistency didn’t help it but it wasn’t the reason. He needs to learn to play with everyone else again, it seems like there’s nobody left from when Jack broke through and showed what he can do, but how long is he going to get if he doesn’t start performing once he’s back from injury? We’ll probably bring in Scheiderlin and with Zelalem waiting in the wings, and Rambo the current incumbent (not to mention Santi being able… Read more »
The summer Cesc left, the disappointment for me was offset by the fact I was quietly confident that, in Jack, we had a direct replacement with even perhaps, more dynamism and tenacity. That’s just how incredible his first breakthrough season was. He was loved not just by us but by opposing fans for being that rare animal these days that dusted themselves down after a naughty foul without complaining. That’s obviously been either kicked or schooled out of him now but it would be great to see if he could regain some of that promise. Just one season without a… Read more »
Riddle me this (and answering it is probably the first step to admitting the truth); with everyone fit (haha!) and on form playing in the best position to get the most out of them, where exactly does JW fit and excel, at? DM? No question now that Le Coq is a mainstay for that. B2B? His best shot, but is he better than an in from Ramsey? Very likely not. AM? No way better than either Santi or Ozil. People can say “Santi can play in the wings and Ozil too” but we’ve seen how bring Santi back to the… Read more »
Oh, as it stands he isn’t in the first team because of that very reason, Ozil and Santi need to play and pushing both of them to the wing is probably not a great idea. I think the formation could work fine though, especially now that we have a hard-tackling dynamo in the ‘1’ part, but I generally tend to think it’s more about the players you have in the formation, and their natural tendencies that dictate how well it works, so essentially Jack should just find a way to work with everyone else. For the record, I think it… Read more »
I think putting Jack in the left wing for 20 minutes for the rest of season when he comes back. It would help him come back and also provide the sort of experience Wenger gave to Ramsey before his wonderful season. It would also make him realize the importance of correct decision before running with or without the ball. Also match sharpness would come back after he tries to help his full back.
Feel sorry for him he needs to show his true capabilities sooner rather than later and these injuries are only making it worse.
A few months back, news of a layoff for Arteta and Wilshere would have spelled disaster. Le Coq to the rescue!
I really want Jack to be part of our starting XI, I just don’t see where he fits in at the moment
Unpopular opinion here: I don’t want jack in our starting lineup. I’m struggling to articulate why, but he just doesn’t convince me as a premier league central midfielder. The picture from this article kinda sums him up: hand in mouth crying that it hurts. I cringe ever time I see it.
Agree with you. I like the lad but forcing him into the team could backfire and cause us to demoralize guys like Santi (and to an extent Rambo) who work their socks off week in week out and have proved they are able to produce the goods week in week out. It’s not his fault, I know, but staying fit is also part of it. Essentially, if JW10 can get fit and work his way into the team (from substitute and cup appearances, etc) and prove to both the coach and his teammates that he deserves a number ahead of… Read more »
I know I will get a lot of thumbs down for saying this, but I think Wilshere should be sold. His persistent injuries mean that he’s just not going to have a long-term career at Arsenal, and additionally he upsets the balance of the team. We can use the funds to go towards another midfielder like Schneiderlin who will be more useful in the squad.
Persistent injuries… How old is Rosicky…?
It’s been a long time, but I still can’t believe those Utd fans were cheering that ankle breaking injury by McNair which didn’t get a card. Yet another reason to cheer Oliver’s recent no-nonsense refereeing performance at OT no less.
On a more positive note, it’s pretty heartening to see the rise of Coq into the first team alongside Wilshere, especially as they were both part of that fabled youth team which won the FA Youth Cup, with most others in that team having faded away despite showing early potential.
I hate to say it, but this feels like Abou territory all over again. I hope I’m wrong.
I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was beyond skeptical of the 2-3 day forecast for this procedure. You have to worry that even if Wilshere does overcome this injury hoodoo he seems to have, that he will have missed the boat in terms of crucial development years as well as where we are at as a club/team. I think 2-3 years ago he was seen as the future of this club and a player that we’d build a squad around but he’s sadly looking less and less likely to have that opportunity. He’s still young, but he’s no… Read more »
We do not need to worry about jack as the slow recovery is best for him. As a matter of fact, it will be difficult for him to get into the team. TW14? Little Mozat? With Ramsey, Arteta and Flamini back, not forgetting Classzola’s performance in midfield, There is absolutely no need to rush him back as we have paid that price before. Let him gradually heal up, play some U21s to test the “buttons” and comeback at the end of the season Fully focused on fighting for his place in the team next season. It’s what’s best for him… Read more »
The reality is players kick lumps out of him… English mentality im afraid
I simply cant see him staying fit long enough to progress… the one thing he has on his side is a very loyal Manager that will give him every chance you just have to look at Diaby for proof of that..
Feel bad for Jack. Hope he doesn’t become Diaby version 2.0
He already is
With regret….Jack Wilshere will have constant ankles injuries due to the way he walks and runs on the ‘outside’ of his feet. His posture is not of a top sportsman. This very small ‘deformity’ will cost him a fulfilling career.
I think that with the competition for his place, and his continuing injuries and the way he runs into people and falls over, means no Arsenal future for Jack sorry.