OPINION
You have got to feel sorry for West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere, haven’t you? This is season is definitely not what it has cracked up to be for the 27-year-old.
He moved to the Hammers in the hope of reinvigorating his career after Unai Emery made it clear that he was not a part of his plans at Arsenal. After playing the first few games of the season, things were looking rather bright for the former Gunner.
It was not meant to be after his ankle gave him grief once again. He has now been missing for the majority of the season, but he made his return to action with the Irons’ under-23s side against Leicester on Sunday, which amounted to a 1-0 win.
Nobody expected him to perform miracles upon his return, and suffice to say that was definitely the case with this outing. However, seeing as this was his first game in a very long while, he really did impress.
He made plenty of clever runs throughout his 65 minutes on the field, and showed more of his creative side by pushing further forward to support the lone striker. Granted, his usual touch was not there, but that was to be expected.
This outing was a huge step in the right direction for Wilshere, and Manuel Pellegrini will no doubt be over the moon after the way he conducted himself on Sunday. The manner in which he really involved himself in the game was very promising, which is exactly what the manager would hope to see.
Whether he will be called upon for the senior team this season remains to be seen, but Wilshere – who is on £100,000-a-week [Spotrac] – is definitely starting to show the signs that he is on his way back. Either way, Pellegrini will surely be rather content with this display.
