Jack Wilshere’s season for West Ham could be over as the midfielder continues to struggle with injury problems.
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A number of years ago, someone I know and trust told me that Jack Wilshere’s ankles would never allow him a proper career at the top level in football. It was a claim that was hard to verify with anything other than an admission from the player or the passage of time.
With the first option not forthcoming, time has shown us all what we all feared to be true – Jack’s ankles are buggered.
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Wilshere was handed a three-year deal with the Hammers when he signed. The club were apparently keen to back Manuel Pellegrini despite fears over the midfielder’s ability to stay fit for any reasonable period of time.
Jack has played just 339 minutes for West Ham this season across five games. Given he’s earning £5m a year, that’s £1m-per-game this season so far.
Wilshere underwent ankle surgery back in September on his left peg and at the time it was hoped he would only be out of action for a month. In October, Pellegrini confirmed that the 27-year-old had suffered a setback.
Had Arsene Wenger stayed at the club there is no doubt that Wilshere would have remained as well, as his own comments back in October show.
“If Arsene had stayed I would have stayed because of the influence he had in my career and the trust he had in me. He gave me the armband and respected me a lot,” Wilshere told the Islington Gazette.
“So, I had pretty much agreed to stay. And then he left and that changed things.
“Arsene had said to me previously “stay and fight your way back into the team” – because I knew Arsene and knew he had trust in me, I knew I could do that and fight my way into the team.
![Bad news for Jack Wilshere 3 LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 18: Manuel Pellegrini, Manager of West Ham United talks with Jack Wilshere of West Ham United during the Premier League match between West Ham United and AFC Bournemouth at London Stadium on August 18, 2018 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)](/static/uploads/2018/09/jack-wilshere-manuel-pellegrini.jpg)
“I knew that if I got myself fit and was training well that Arsene would put me in – and he did.
“But things were changing at the club and they were going into a new era and maybe it was time for me to leave as well.”
Then in December it was confirmed he’s suffered another blow in his attempts to get fit even though Wilshere had hoped to prove Arsenal wrong for letting him go. This time it was his right ankle.
“They’ve got a new manager, but I know the players, so hopefully it’ll be a good time to play them,” Wilshere said before the two sides met in December. “It’ll be a strange one for me as I was never able to go there and play when I went out on loan as you can play against your parent club, but it’s one I’m looking forward to.
“It’s down to me to prove a point to Arsenal that they were wrong to get rid of me.”
Sadly, that doesn’t look like Jack will be able to do that and with every passing week Arsenal’s decision is vindicated.