Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is giving his backing to Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere saying that he will bounce back from his fractured foot injury incurred midweek during England’s friendly with Denmark and that he will not only be ready to play for England in the World Cup, but will be one of the stars of the tournament.
The 22-year-old currently faces six weeks on the side-lines followed by a further two weeks training before he will be fully match fit, yet Wenger sees no reason for the Arsenal player not to be on the plane with Roy Hodgeson’s England squad.
“When you go to a tournament like that, you have to be 100 per cent fit. I am confident Jack will be because the timescale is all right,” said Wenger.
“He can have a great World Cup if all works well.
“If you look at the number of weeks until the end of the season, then you have still six weeks before the start of the World Cup.
“He will be fully fit to play (for Arsenal) and then you have still preparation games (with England).”
Wenger added: “At the World Cup you will be happy that you have a player who is as committed as that, who can have the technical ability to go forward.
“What is important now for him is of course that he goes there in full fitness, and we have to make sure that after the six weeks he has no setbacks.”
Wenger got news of the incident while in Paris to watch France beat Holland 2-0 and had no idea at the time just how bad the injury to Wilshere was telling Sky Sports: “The problem of Jack is he has a high pain threshold, and that is why he is in danger sometimes, because he just goes on, and after you see a disaster has happened,” Wenger added.
“So many times I sit there (on the bench) and say to the physio ‘come on, how bad is it?’ and am told ‘he wants two or three minutes’, and after that Jack continues to play.
“You think you have to take him off straight away with a stretcher, and after, suddenly, he can go on. He is very, very, very resistant to pain.”
