Arsene Wenger has admitted that while no one can deny how brilliant Jack Wilshere is, his injuries have been a problem and may continue to be.
Wenger appears wary of celebrating Wilshere’s return to full fitness because he knows how often we’ve been in his position before.
“Wilshere struggled historically with repeated injuries,” Wenger told beIN Sports. “Nobody would question his talent. Nobody would question his exceptional ability to beat people with the ball. But in this job you need first health.
“Today the requests and demands in the competitions are so high physically that you can only be your best physically if you can play at least 10 games on the trot.
“That is what’s at stake for Jack Wilshere. Keep health and compete and be capable to compete.
“If he can play from now until December at the top level he will be back. If there are other setbacks then it will be difficult for him.
“It’s a vital season, it’s the end of his contract, a World Cup year. He’s an Arsenal player since he’s a kid so all that is at stake for him.
“You would love a player like him, of that quality, to come back. In fact he had a very good game in BATE Borisov, a very brilliant first half when he was back to his best. So he’s not far away now. But let’s hope in the next two to three weeks he can play regularly in the first team.”
The 25-year-old has made three appearances for the Gunners so far this term and has looked sharped. However, as fans we’re all aware of how easily this could change. We’ve seen it happen so many times that it’s hard to be optimistic.
Wilshere has under a year left on his current deal with Arsenal so his 16-year career in north London could be set to come to an end.
Wenger’s made it clear that if the midfielder can remain fit, the club will potentially offer him a new deal, but you can understand why the manager and club would want to wait.
In my opinion, when Wilshere’s fit, there are few current Arsenal players who are as exciting to watch. The Englishman combines skill and talent with strength, passion and a genuine love for the club.
And he manages to do all the above while maintaining a certain rawness to his game, which makes watching him hugely entertaining.