OPINION
West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini will surely be frustrated as midfielder Jack Wilshere may have suffered a setback in his road to redemption.
Claret & Hugh reported on Monday that the 27-year-old had suffered a new injury as he had picked up a knock during his cameo appearance against Bournemouth.
The reliable Hammers outlet stated that the club are being careful regarding their initial assessments of Wilshere’s injury but that the problem may stop him from being available for Saturday’s clash with Crystal Palace.
While Wilshere is not to blame for picking up an injury as these things happen, though he should curse his luck, Pellegrini will be frustrated if this injury is a notable setback regarding the midfielder as he has been so careful with him this season.
The Hammers boss has carefully micro-managed Wilshere’s minutes this season after the player’s injury-hit debut campaign last season.
In the 2018/19 season, the 27-year-old spent 193 days on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, missing 30 games in the process (Source: Transfermarkt), and ended up appearing just eight times in the Premier League as a result.
So far this season, despite getting through the club’s pre-season, Pellegrini has opted to only use him for 136 minutes in the Premier League and even when using him in the two EFL Cup games, has taken him off before the final whistle. (Source: Transfermarkt)
While Wilshere’s disappointing displays have made it easier for Pellegrini to leave him out, he has averaged only a rating of 6.04 on WhoScored across his four league outings, it’s clear his manager has tried to wrap him in cotton wool as much as possible in order to avoid injury striking again.
After all, Pellegrini has tremendous faith in the midfielder’s ability as during an interview with the Hammers’ official website in May, he claimed the 27-year-old would change his side for the better.
So with that in mind, you feel the Hammers manager will be frustrated that despite his efforts and trying to ease Wilshere back into action that the 27-year-old is reportedly facing a potential injury set-back again.
