Arsenal boss rubbishes reports of rift with England over Jack
The Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has today dismissed rumours created by the English media over his apparent displeasure with the FA in regards to over-playing Gunners star Jack Wilshere in the friendlies against Chile and Germany, claiming that the dynamic midfielder has suffered no injury whatsoever during the latest international break.
Reports from both the Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail had claimed earlier on that the 21-year-old had suffered an ankle injury after being on the receiving end of a challenge from Germany’s Sidney Sam shortly after coming on as a substitute, with both papers also reporting that Arsene Wenger was furious with England boss Roy Hodgson over the issue. However, the French manager stepped up to dismiss both rumours and set the records straight.
Speaking to Arsenal Player, Wenger said: “First of all Jack is not injured, that was not the right information. Secondly, I have no problem with the FA, they respected completely what they told me and it was [for Wilshere] to play in one game and be on the bench in the other. They did that very well. So there is no misunderstanding there. Exactly [they did what we agreed].”
With concerns over the fatigue of Welshman Aaron Ramsey also surfacing, the news would have been especially hard for the Arsenal fans to take, should it have been true. Thankfully, it just turns out to be a bit of exaggeration by the media over what seemed to be just a ‘knock’. Wilshere is understood to be fine and is expected to be involved when the Premier League’s surprise package Southampton visit the Emirates on Saturday.
There is more good news on the injury front for Arsenal as English winger Theo Walcott, who has been missing since the Gunners’ 2-1 win over Marseille, has fully recovered from an abdominal problem and is widely expected to start against his former club. Moreover, German forward Lukas Podolski has resumed training and should be available by December.
As expected, Per Mertesacker and Tomas Rosicky have both recovered from illness and will be available for selection once again. Finally, the injury list for Arsenal seems to be in a more managable condition. Let’s hope Arsene Wenger’s side can take advantage of improved squad depth and further tighten their grip at the top of the table.
