Kane keen to race back as front-runner

A test of Wil for sidelined Jack

JACK WILSHERE faces a fight for his Bournemouth place after being snubbed by England.

Wilshere joined the club from Arsenal on loan last summer in a bid to stay in the frame for the Three Lions.

But after being benched for the Cherries’ last two games, the midfielder was not named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for next week’s matches with Germany and Lithuania.

Wilshere, below, who has not played for England since Euro 2016, is likely to find himself left out again when Bournemouth host Swansea tonight. “Jack knows his body very well and when he feels something we just ease off in training or on the match load,” said Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe.

“I love Jack to bits as a player and he showed his quality coming off the bench in the last game against West Ham. He is a terrific option to have whether he is starting or coming off the bench, it is just the quality of player we have. All the players know they’ll be picked on merit.” Wilshere has played 23 games for Bournemouth and Howe believes he has proved his injury woes are behind him.

He said: “The only question mark over him before he came here was his ability to play consecutive games and to keep fit and I think he’s done that.”

When Swansea, then managerless, lost 3-0 to Bournemouth on New Year’s Eve, Paul Clement was skiing in Austria.

The result marked out the Swans as almost certain relegation candidates, but Clement’s decision for a winter break and subsequent acceptance of the job has seen a notable turnaround.

“I saw the goals, but I did not see the full game,” said Clement. “It was not a case of watching that game and thinking, ‘This is a big job’. I already knew that. I saw the fixtures coming up and what it would take, but there was no chance it would stop me taking the job. That’s why I came.”