Stop me at any point if you’ve heard this one before: Jack Wilshere reportedly has a serious leg injury that could keep the Arsenal midfielder out of action for up to three months.
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Arsene Wenger said last week that Wilshere had suffered an injury to his left ankle that would sideline the 23-year-old England international for “a matter of days.” Wilshere did not play in Sunday’s Community Shield triumph over Chelsea, and Wenger hinted even then that Wilshere would likely miss the Gunners’ Premier League curtain raiser against West Ham United this Sunday (Watch live on NBCSN and online via Live Extra, 8:30 am ET).
Now come multiple reports from the UK that Wilshere will not only miss the opening weekend of the 2015-16 campaign, but that he could also miss the first three months of the season. Wilshere is said to have suffered a hairline fracture of his left fibula during what has been reported as a tackle made my Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista in training.
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If Wilshere’s latest injury requires surgery in order to be repaired — final word is expected on Friday when the results of additional scans come in — the timetable for return could be as long as three months. If no surgery is required, Wilshere could be back within six to eight weeks.
Either way, it’s a massive blow to Arsenal’s midfield depth as the Gunners ready themselves to mount a real challenge for their first league title in a dozen years.
