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Jack Wilshere could be ruled out for the rest of the season, as his recurring ankle injury refuses to heal properly.
According to a Daily Mail exclusive, West Ham fear Wilshere will not return to action before the season ends due to struggles to overcome the injury.
Wilshere joined West Ham after 17 years at Arsenal last summer, as one of many new signings to arrive in the same window as coach Manuel Pellegrini. It was supposed to be a new dawn for the club at the London Stadium, and while the Hammers have picked up form, Wilshere has not been a part of that steady improvement after undergoing surgery back in September.
The 27-year-old, who boasts 34 England caps, only made four league appearances for West Ham before breaking down with yet another injury – a constant theme throughout his career.
Wilshere then returned to the pitch for a five minute cameo against Newcastle in December, but has not featured since. After the game at St James’ Park, he complained of more ankle pain, and has been undergoing more treatment for the past two months, closely monitored by the club’s head of medicine Richard Collinge.
But a lack of progress in his rehabilitation has raised concerns that the playmaker may not be back in action until after this season closes, with the possibility of more surgery beckoning.
The Mail claim an optimistic timeframe for Wilshere’s return would be between six to eight weeks, however it is more likely that he will not don the claret and blue jersey again before next season.
West Ham have bounced back from a terrible start to the season, which coincided with Wilshere’s injury, and have dealt with two other major casualties in Manuel Lanzini, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament before last summer’s World Cup, and Andriy Yarmolenko, who tore his achilles tendon back in October.