Arsenal and England midfielder Jack Wilshere will be out for at least 3 months after undergoing surgery on his ankle, due to an injury suffered against Manchester United. The playmaker suffered ankle ligament damage again, adding to his already lengthy time spent on the sidelines because of injury.
Jack Wilshere burst into the spotlight in the 2010/11 season, where he made 31 league starts (44 in all competitions) for Arsenal as an 18/19 year old. Wilshere performed impressively throughout the campaign, drawing comparisons with England legend Paul Gascoigne as well as (former) Arsenal favourite Cesc Fabregas, who also broke into the first team as a teenager.
Wilshere also received praise across Europe for his outstanding performances in the Champions League, most notable against Barcelona, a game in which he excelled against the likes of Busquets, Xavi & Iniesta. Such a remarkable opening to his Arsenal senior career created a buzz of excitement as to what could come next from this English talent, but maybe the most defining incident of his career so far was about to affect his development.
Jack Wilshere missed the whole of the 2011/2012 season (17 months in total), initially due to a stress fracture of his ankle, in addition to rehabilitation issues. This was the major injury that began the scepticism regarding his fitness ever since, as a recurring problems have plagued his progress as a player, still not yet matching the high standards he set in his debut season for Arsenal.
His stunted progress as a player has caused concern throughout the media, with notable names such as former Manchester United and England midfielder Paul Scholes openly questioning his improvement over the last 4 years. Once you put this alongside the vast improvement of club colleague Aaron Ramsey, who happens to have had to overcome a similarly serious injury and also play in the same position as Wilshere, it further increases the scrutiny the Englishman is under.
He wouldn't be the first talented English player whose career would be defined by their daunting injury records. Michael Owen is an obvious example, as the former Liverpool and Real Madrid (and others) striker had an explosive impact for the first part of his career, breaking many goal scoring records despite various injury scares.
This soon took its toll though, as once he returned to England from Spain, his body just couldn't handle the rigours of Football on a daily business without breaking down. Now despite the successful career Owen had, when people look back the first thing that springs to mind is his injury record and not his goal scoring exploits.
There is a similar fear regarding the future of Jack Wilshere, as he seems to be receiving more attention due to his injuries than he is his performance on the field, with an anxious atmosphere overcoming the audience every time he hits the floor. Every season Wilshere seems to have at least one serious injury and/or a string of minor injuries that stunts his development that little bit more. Unless he can put together 2-3 years without a serious injury, it could lead to him being remembered for them rather than his undoubted ability.
