15 months of injury would have a telling effect on any professional footballer’s career. But when you’re just 20-years-old, there’s every chance that it could represent a final crushing blow. When you’re that young and you’re improving every day, each and every day of development counts.
Two summers have passed and Jack Wilshere has missed over a season’s worth of football. If there’s one positive, it’s that he’s still young enough that he has a long way to go before he hits his peak and that there’s plenty of time for him to develop and improve as a player. Let’s just hope that these 15 months out of the game don’t prove too costly.
Take, for instance, another Arsenal star: Aaron Ramsey. The young Welshman was left-pole-axed after a horror tackle from Ryan Shawcross and his career (like Wilshere’s) was left in the balance. He recovered, obtained full fitness, but has never since demonstrated the form or confidence that he did before his injury. It’s a big loss, because he looked set for big things.
Now I’m not so sure he has a future with Arsenal (especially with Wilshere returning and looking to stake his claim to a first team role!). Let’s hope that a similar situation doesn’t develop with Wilshere.
Wilshere played the full 90 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly defeat (0-2) to Chelsea at London Colney last Wednesday. The game followed two other appearances for Arsenal’s U21 side – attempts to help build the youngster’s fitness back-up to peak level.
Now, according to the Daily Mail, Jack Wilshere has told Arsene Wenger that he’s ready to put his injury nightmare behind him and start appearing in the first team again.
Hopefully Wenger will exercise some caution here. The club has rushed back players before (Wilshere included) only to further aggravate their injury problems. Wilshere needs to be eased back into the Premier League as delicately as possible. 10 minutes there, 15 minutes here, etc. When the time’s right for his first start, Arsene Wenger will let him know.
Of course, he’ll have to fight off competition from the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Abou Diaby (Mikel Arteta and Santi Cazorla have their places in Arsenal’s midfield nailed on) but I don’t think he’ll struggle in this regard. Whilst expectations need to be monitored (his full recovery will take some time and there are likely to be a few bad performances along the way) he’s got too much about him to sit on the bench for too long.
I just can’t wait to see him back in action.
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