Arsenal to rest Wilshere over fears of second ankle injury
Jack Wilshere is to sit out Arsenal’s Champions League second round second-leg tie with Bayern Munich over fears he could suffer another career-threatening ankle injury, the Daily Mirror has reported.
Wilshere missed almost a year-and-a-half of football after a series of severe problems with his right ankle, returning in late 2012. But the England international has shown signs of the beginnings of the same problem with his left ankle, with manager Arsene Wenger confirming concerns over a repeat of the same long-term injury has forced his hand.
“Normally, if he had not had his history, you should say maybe he can go on. But with the history we had last time, the specialist said we cannot take this gamble,” Wenger said. “It was bone bruising last time, which deteriorated into a stress fracture. That is what we don't want to happen - nobody knows if it was going to happen again.
“We do a regular scan on him and, on one of the scans, it showed up bone bruising on the heel on the right foot. He had some inflammation on the right ankle, where he had surgery, and certainly compensated to protect that ankle, and put too much pressure on the left one.”
Wilshere has been ruled out for the next three weeks, meaning not only will he miss Arsenal’s tie in Germany but also two England internationals, the World Cup qualification double-header against San Marino and Montenegro.
The Football Association and England manager Roy Hodgson were consulted on the state of Wilshere’s fitness, with the governing body and the national team boss consenting to the period of rest called for by the Gunners.
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