OPINION
It is no secret that West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere has had rotten luck this season, with his ongoing ankle problem causing him even more issues.
The fresh start that he had been hoping for was quickly thrown out of the window just a few games into the new Premier League campaign, and he has hardly been seen in the first team since.
However, the 27-year-old make his injury comeback for the under-23s in their win against Leicester on Sunday, and boss Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that he will play in the youth side’s next match with Derby before making his full return to the first team.
“Jack Wilshere is almost ready. He played an U23s game last week and he will play another one. Hopefully next week he will be 100 per cent with us,” he said in his pre-match press conference, as relayed by Football London.
Given the state of the midfield this season in terms of injuries, Pellegrini will surely jump for joy that Wilshere is likely to return to normality next week. Yes, it is not likely that he will start straight away, but it definitely is a step in the right direction, providing that the barely-seen player can now stay injury-free.
Wilshere would have wanted to return a lot earlier than this – he has only played five times as a result of the setback – but as they say, it is better late than never. Come the beginning of next season, he can start on a fresh slate and hopefully make the impact he wanted to make when he first joined.
Last Sunday, he pushed further forward than he usually does, so hopefully Pellegrini took note of that and will use him in a more attacking role when he gets the opportunity to play. He is far more effective when higher up the pitch compared to playing as a central midfielder.
