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Wenger: Attacker Ruled Out But Midfielder Could Return On Sunday

By on February 13, 2015

Jack-Wilshere

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has confirmed Alexis Sanchez is unlikely to be fit to face Middlesbrough on Sunday but Jack Wilshere could be in contention to make his comeback.

Sanchez suffered a knee injury during the first half of our 2-1 win over Leicester City on Tuesday night and after initially insisting on staying on the field, he was eventually subbed off midway through the second half.

The injury clearly hampered his performance and there were fears Sanchez may have caused further damage by soldiering on while carrying the knock.

Luckily it seems he hasn’t suffered any serious damage and isn’t expected to be on the sidelines for any period of time, but Arsene has confirmed the Chilean international isn’t training yet and is likely to be ‘short’ for Sunday clash with Middlesbrough.

However, one man who could return to action is Jack Wilshere. The midfielder resumed full first team training last week and the boss says he now needs competitive games to get himself back to his best.

As I reported earlier, the boss also confirmed Aaron Ramsey is out with a minor hamstring strain which should keep him on the sidelines for around two weeks.

Arsene told Arsenal.com:

on team news…

Aaron Ramsey will be out, he has a little hamstring strain. Alexis is still not able to go out, he could be short again for Sunday. Jack Wilshere’s back in normal training but has been out for [more than two] months and misses competition. He worked very hard and is focused, committed, but it will take him a while to get back to competitive level.

on Jack Wilshere…

He’s motivated and focused to come back as quickly as possible. He worked very hard but he has still been out for [more than two] months and what he needs now is to get back. Competition gives you that sharpness that training cannot give you because it’s about a combination of fitness and decision-making – and speed of decision-making. It takes a while to get that back.

With Ramsey out, the temptation may be to start Wilshere but I personally wouldn’t risk him. Put him on the bench and hopefully he can get some minutes under his belt in the second half.

And I certainly wouldn’t take any chances with Sanchez. If he’s not training yet then he’s not going to be 100% for Sunday so let’s rest him and make sure he’s fully-fit for the Palace game next weekend.