Wilshere may miss another three months
JACK WILSHERE could be out for another three months after making a slow recovery from a hairline fracture to his left leg. The Arsenal midfielder is not expected to be fit for England’s next round of Euro 2016 qualifiers in October and surgery has not yet been ruled out.
It is another blow for Wilshere, 23, who was hurt in training four weeks ago. He only returned in May after five months out with an ankle injury.
Manager Arsene Wenger had hoped he would be back in time to face Stoke City tomorrow but met with Arsenal doctors yesterday to discuss his condition.
He could be back in four weeks but if surgery is required, the recovery period may be up to three months.
‘I have not seen Jack Wilshere in the last two or three days,’ Wenger said. ‘He is progressing more slowly than expected.
‘I expected him to be back and available after the international break, but unfortunately he will not be available for Saturday. He had a little setback.’
Wenger was speaking publicly for the first time since he faced heavy criticism from Arsenal fans for failing to sign a striker i n the transfer window.
The Frenchman told supporters they should not expect a miracle in the transfer market and to get behind the team they have.
‘I think to support the club and support the team is to stand behind the players,’ he said. ‘It is not always expecting someone coming down from heaven to sort out problems.
‘Support is believing in the players, in the squad. This is a good opportunity for our supporters to do that.’
Fans accused Wenger of lying to them when it was revealed the decision for Danny Welbeck to undergo knee surgery was made well before the transfer window shut.
Wenger denied misleading fans but he confirmed that Welbeck will be out ‘certainly until Christmas ’ leaving them with only Olivier Giroud as a recognised striker, with Alexis Sanchez and Theo Walcott alternative forward options.
‘I am surprised that people accused me of lying when I was in the press conference on Friday morning, I did not know Welbeck had a bad setback. I did not lie to you, I gave you the information I had,’ he said.
‘I heard late on Friday night that his condition had not evolved as well as we thought it was and he had needed specialist and needed further investigation. Apart from that, if we did not find someone [to sign], we did not find them.
‘We have Alexis (Sanchez), we have (Olivier) Giroud, we have (Theo) Walcott and it is always a similar problem — when you have many strikers people say how do you keep them all happy? It is about the efficiency and quality of our game, we can score goals I am not worried about that.
‘I have made more than 300 transfers and every time it’s a decision to make,’ Wenger said.
‘Do you buy the player because he strengthens his squad or not?
‘The solutions we had were not convincing at all. In the end you do not buy to give one hope, you want to buy because the players who come in can help your squad to be stronger. Buying and selling is one way to strengthen your team but that’s not the only way.’