Jack Wilshere could be handed his first Premier League start on Wednesday after Arsene Wenger confirmed that Aaron Ramsey’s suffering with a hamstring problem.
Wilshere came on in the 69th minute during Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Southampton when the Gunners were still 1-0 behind.
The midfielder instantly gave the team more purpose going forward and improved our creativity from deep, which Granit Xhaka has been struggling to do this term.
Olivier Giroud, who was brought on shortly after Jack, eventually netted Arsenal’s equaliser in the 88th minute, saving them a point.
It was before this that Aaron Ramsey had pulled up during an attack and began to hobble. Post-match, Wenger confirmed that the Welshman could barely run by the final whistle as he was suffering with a hamstring problem. Therefore, the 26-year-old looks like he’s a doubt for Arsenal’s mid-week clash against West Ham.
“He has a hamstring problem,” Arsene Wenger told Arsenal.com.
“In the last 10 or 12 minutes if we had him fully fit it would have helped. That’s why it’s sometimes a big gamble when you [make substitutions] early.”
As a result, Jack might actually get the nod and make his first Premier League start. Although this means facing a boisterous side at the London Stadium, the Gunners are still favourites at 8/13 betting odds.
The 25-year-old scored his first goal of the season against BATE Borisov last Thursday so it’s a fantastic time to give him a taste of real first team action.
Jack has just six months left on his current deal in north London and although Wenger claimed his future would be sorted by December, there’s still no word on whether he’ll be staying or not.
It does seem as if Arsenal are waiting to see if he can integrate into the Premier League starting XI before they offer him a new deal. Alternatively, Jack might we waiting for reassurances about his game time before putting pen to paper.