Manuel Pellegrini has confirmed that West Ham United will not know until Friday whether or not Jack Wilshere can play against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
The Hammers travel to Turf Moor after not picking up a single win since the end of September, with Wilshere having missed the recent 3-2 defeat to Newcastle United after being described as not being 100%.
“Jack Wilshere we will need to see how we works tomorrow.”,” Pellegrini said in his pre-match press conference.
Wilshere has only managed two starts in the Premier League this season against Manchester City and Brighton and has had to settle for four substitute appearances on top of those.
Pellegrini also revealed that Winston Reid is set to continue with more preparation before playing in the Premier League after featuring for the under-23s recently.
OPINION
Given the Hammers’ recent struggles in the Premier League, every single player has a chance of being drafted into the first team for any fixture. West Ham have been poor going forward so to be able to call upon a player of Wilshere’s quality could be massive for Pellegrini. The England international has the ability to get on the ball frequently and dictate play with his skill and passing ability against Burnley, who are usually a tough team to break down at Turf Moor. The 27-year-old has averaged a pass success rate of 82.8% per game according to WhoScored, and with Sebastien Haller looking more isolated each week, West Ham need that one player who can link the midfield and attack – something Wilshere could be key towards. Pellegrini will not want to make drastic changes and start panic around the club, but there is only so much players can do before not deserving their spot, and the return of Wilshere could start to put pressure on underperforming players. While this injury update isn’t overly inspiring at least it seems like Wilshere has a chance of featuring.
