? Player suffers recurrence of ankle injury after return to training
? Wenger refuses to put a timescale on midfielder's recovery
Jack Wilshere has handed England a major injury scare ahead of this summer's European Championship after the Arsenal midfielder suffered a recurrence of the ankle injury that could mean he is ruled out for the rest of the season.
In what will come as a huge blow to his club's Champions League hopes as well as Fabio Capello's plans, Wilshere injured his ankle while running as he stepped up his rehabilitation, with the player and his manager, Ars�ne Wenger, refusing to put a timescale on his return.
Wilshere tweeted: "It is true I have had a setback I can't tell you how long I have been set back because I don't know! I am very annoyed but will stay strong."
Having undergone surgery in September, Wilshere had hoped to be back next month to prove his fitness ahead of the summer. The 20 year-old saw specialists and although Wenger tried to put on a brave face he ruled out any possibility of him figuring in England's upcoming friendly against Holland in late February.
"He has not played since summer so even if we have good news I would say it is impossible," said Wenger, who estimates that it will take a minimum of six weeks for Wilshere to be match fit again from the day he is considered ready to start practising again. Should the news be bad, a shadow has been cast over Wilshere's participation in the Euros as well as the remainder of Arsenal's campaign.
For Wenger the setbacks have been fairly relentless this season and he might have thought things could not get much worse after three straight league defeats and a show of rebellion in the stands last Sunday. He was wrong.
Wenger has reason to feel frustrated about the ramifications for Arsenal, who are crying out for a talent such as Wilshere to bring his combination of creativity and personality to the team. But the manager's thoughts are primarily with his player. "It is a massive disappointment but I am really disappointed for him because he is a football animal. I am so sad that at that age you have to be out for such a long time with not any obvious reason.
"If you had told me that Jack would not have played one game by February I would have said: 'That's impossible'. Especially I like to have a left-footed player in midfield. We miss that little burst from Jack," Wenger said. As to Wilshere's mood, the Frenchman paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "How do you say in English? Gutted."
This is not the first time that they have had a player supposedly on the road to recovery suffer a setback. The Arsenal medical team have, in recent years, struggled to get to the bottom of long-term pain with Tomas Rosicky, Thomas Vermaelen and Abou Diaby, who have all more or less had a season wiped out.
Asked why this is such a regular occurrence these days, Wenger said: "Because we push them hard. You want them to be completely at the top when they come back because the intensity of the game is so high that a guy who is not tuned in completely cannot come in and perform. The physical requests are so high the rehab is much harder than when I played."
There is some better news on the injury front for Arsenal with Bacary Sagna ? who has been greatly missed since breaking a leg in early October ? and is, along with Mikel Arteta and Thierry Henry, ready for a fitness test ahead of Aston Villa's visit in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Wenger has drawn a line over the negativity he experienced last Sunday, when the home fans were not shy in airing their discontent. If the substitution of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for Andrey Arshavin felt like a tipping point, the manager is staying focused on a result to swing the mood back towards the positive.
It will be interesting to see if Wenger chooses to start Oxlade-Chamberlain again after such an exciting contribution against Manchester United. Wenger believes the youngster is ready to play regularly. "He has done extremely well. We are not scared to play players when they are of the level. People know football, they know quickly who is a player, a real football player, and who is not. You cannot cheat on quality."
Is it a case of reminding the fans who signed Oxlade-Chamberlain in the first place? Wenger stared dead ahead, replying: "Well, I believe that you have to get always above that. I do what I think is right for the club and the rest, you have to live with."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jan/27/arsenal-england-jack-wilshere
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