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Pellegrini’s Wilshere plan surely doomed to fail

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OPINION

There’s plenty of hope in east London that this upcoming season will finally be the one where West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere fulfils the potential he showed early on in his career.

The 27-year-old has only been at the London Stadium for one year, but there’s already some weariness amongst the fanbase due to his undoubtedly spotty injury track record.

Despite said history, though, Hammers manager Manuel Pellegrini is seemingly remaining optimistic on the future of the England international. Claret & Hugh reported on Friday that Wilshere is expected to be a fixture in the West Ham starling line-up next term, with a starting spot seemingly his to demand when fully fit.

That’s just it, though. How can Pellegrini seriously plan his team around the midfielder next campaign when there’s no evidence to suggest that Wilshere will be able to stay fit enough to consolidate his place in the Chilean’s teams?

Indeed, the team’s supporters will surely be rolling their eyes at this news. It’s fair to nail starlet Declan Rice on for a starting spot in the Hammers’ midfield, but Wilshere? Come on now.

The Englishman has made just 60 Premier League appearances over the past five seasons of the competitions. That’s 60 games out of a possible 190. This is where Pellegrini’s current plan starts to look a little delusional.

None of this is to bash Wilshere or suggest he can’t be a consistent performer for West Ham next time out. Indeed, it’s possible that he solves his injury problems this summer and becomes a force to be reckoned with. However, history just isn’t on his side.

At some point you have to be realistic, and Pellegrini is falling into the trap of planning for an ideal world rather than the one he actually lives in. The sad fact remains that it is simply delusional to plan for life with Wilshere as a 38-game performer next season.

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