Dean Ashton suggested that new West Ham signing Jack Wilshere lacked the athleticism and pace that the club’s midfield currently lacked.
The 34-year-old via his personal Twitter account shared that he believed the Hammers’ latest recruit was a quality player when fit, played with a real passion and was creative in the final third but claimed that due to him averaging less than 13 league games a season he simply wouldn’t cut it.
I was?? https://t.co/DEj3kQVhR3
— Dean Ashton (@TheDeanAshton) July 9, 2018
The Hammers confirmed via their official website on Monday that the club had signed Wilshere following his Arsenal contract expiring last month and that he had put pen to paper on a three-year deal with the club.
Ashton did add in his tweet that he hoped Wilshere proved him wrong now that the club had officially signed him.
OPINION
Ashton knows a thing or two about injuries as his career was drastically cut short due to the problems he suffered so it’s easy to see why he has doubts over Wilshere signing for the club. It’s hard to argue with the former Hammers forward as if the midfielder continues to average 13 games a season during his time at the London Stadium, he will be seen as an unsuccessful signing. However there is clearly hope that the talented midfielder has successfully turned the corner on his injuries especially after his impressive 2017/18 campaign. The creative talent featured 40 times for the Gunners, scoring two goals, while creating seven and was able to stay in tip-top shape for the majority of his latest season. While there will still be doubts about his ability to regularly feature they can all be put to bed by the time the next summer window rolls around. For the sake of the Hammers and Wilshere’s career, it would be great news if he is now set to have a clean bill of health for the foreseeable future.
