Manuel Pellegrini has revealed that crocked West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere could be available for action in early February.
The rarely-seen Irons star – who signed on a free transfer from Arsenal in the summer – briefly appeared at the start of the season for the Hammers, but having surgery on his left ankle meant that he was absent for the 11 games before December.
An injury then flared up in his right ankle following a substitute outing against Newcastle last month, causing him to miss another nine fixtures.
“He is continuing with his six weeks of rest about his ankle. He is in treatment and I hope that next week maybe he can start doing some running on the treadmill,” Pellegrini said, as quoted by Sky Sports.
“He will be ready at the beginning of February.”
OPINION
Because of the amount of games that Wilshere has missed this season, it hard to make a judgement about his time at West Ham so far. He has never been the luckiest in terms of injuries, and it is hard to remember a long period of time where his ankle has not given him grief. However, we could be about to see him in action properly in early February, although it remains to be seen just how excited the fans will be about that prospect. They never really liked his central midfield partnership with Mark Noble at the start of the season, and they no doubt think that it was no coincidence that the team started to get results when he was ruled out injured. If he is given the chance to play in the starting XI upon his return, then he must make the most of it. He needs to convince Pellegrini that he is worthy of a regular spot, but most importantly, he needs to get the fans on his side.