Arsene Wenger today claimed Roy Hodgson should gamble on taking Jack Wilshere to Euro 2016 if the Arsenal midfielder proves his fitness in the coming weeks.
Wilshere has not played a competitive match since England’s clash with Slovenia in June after suffering a fractured fibula during pre-season and undergoing surgery in September. As revealed yesterday, Wilshere is back in full training and expected to feature in next Friday’s Under-21 match against Newcastle as he begins rebuilding match fitness.
England coach Hodgson believes Wilshere is his best defensive midfield option and would be tempted to take the risk to include him in his 23-man squad for the finals, which he names on May 12, if he’s back in first-team action before the end of the season.
Wenger told Standard Sport: “If he’s completely fit, no [it is not a gamble for Hodgson to select Wilshere]. When you’re a national team coach, you can take a gamble on one player but certainly not on five. He has to consider the whole situation. You can certainly take a chance on just one player.
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“You want your players to compete. When you’re a footballer you want to compete at the top level and what is important is that Jack, who is frustrated enough, regains confidence. It’s very important for his confidence that he can go to the Euros and he can play. It’s also important to have a player of his quality available.”
Wenger believes it will be “a few weeks” before Wilshere is available for first-team action but is adamant both the 24-year-old and club-mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be ready to compete at the finals in France.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has not featured for Arsenal since suffering a leg injury in the 2-0 Champions League home defeat by Barcelona on February 23.
Wenger claims it will be “three to four weeks” before 22-year-old Oxlade-Chamberlain is ready to play, giving him little time to prove his fitness before Hodgson makes the final decision on his squad for France.
