Harry Redknapp reckons that Arsene Wenger needs to give Jack Wilshere more chances to impress for Arsenal’s first team after his solid display against West Ham.

On Wednesday, Wenger handed Jack his first Premier League start of the season and the 25-year-old was one of the sharpest players on the pitch. As a result, Redknapp, in his infinite wisdom, reckons that the midfielder should play more…

“They just lacked that cutting edge to open West Ham up,” Redknapp told talkSPORT.

“I don’t think they would have got away with that if it had been Man City. 

‘You always get the feeling they would have opened them up somewhere and got a goal or two. 

“But Arsenal at the moment just don’t seem to have that something special.

“I think the big plus for Arsenal is I think Wilshere looked in good form last night.

“I thought Jack looked sharp, he snapped into some good tackles.

“He won the ball back quickly at times, his passing was good. 

“I’d like to see him get a run in the team now and see what he can do again.”

Jack not starting in the Premier League, I imagine, comes down to two main reasons.

Firstly, Wenger has said in the past that he wants Jack to play in an advanced role, which is currently occupied by Mesut Ozil. Dropping the German is a huge gamble. However, when Aaron Ramsey suffered a hamstring injury against Southampton, he made room in the team, even though he plays further back.

Arguably, Jack should have replaced Granit Xhaka long ago but that’s just my opinion. Although he seems fit, we don’t actually know what’s going on behind the scenes, which leads me to the second reason I think Wenger has held Jack back.

Jack’s injury woes are no secret and after returning after his second fibula fracture, Wenger will have wanted to protect the Englishman, even if Jack didn’t feel he needed it. Gradually increasing his game time, particularity in such a physical league, might turn out to be a crucial part of keeping him fit.

After Jack’s performance against West Ham, I’m sure we’ll see more starts.