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Another season wasted away by injury for West Ham’s Jack Wilshere

By Adam Smith

BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Jack Wilshere of West Ham United is challenged by Dale Stephens of Brighton & Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United at American Express Community Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Brighton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Jack Wilshere of West Ham United is challenged by Dale Stephens of Brighton & Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and West Ham United at American Express Community Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Brighton, United Kingdom. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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The exciting midfielder of Arsenal and England background has, yet again, been absent from much of anything this season for West Ham. It’s frustrating but predictable for the generational talent who is so direly needed.

A central midfield battery that includes Declan Rice, Mark Noble, Pablo Fornals, Manuel Lanzini, Carlos Sanchez, and Jack Wilshere would make West Ham look stacked in the center of the pitch, but this just isn’t the truth.

With formation dictating so much for the team, Fornals and Lanzini are out wide leaving just Noble, Rice, and Sanchez to patrol the middle of the pitch and fill two positions. Wilshere’s absence has been direly missed.

Once described as a Pirlo type of player by his then manager Manuel Pellegrini, the belief was that Noble would be the first bench option for Rice and defensive midfield or Wilshere who would, ideally, sit deep and pull the strings. No Wilshere, no contingency plan, no depth, tons of problems.

NEWPORT, WALES – AUGUST 27: Mark Noble and Sebastien Haller of West Ham United joke with Jack Wilshere prior to the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Newport County and West Ham United at Rodney Parade on August 27, 2019 in Newport, Wales. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
NEWPORT, WALES – AUGUST 27: Mark Noble and Sebastien Haller of West Ham United joke with Jack Wilshere prior to the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Newport County and West Ham United at Rodney Parade on August 27, 2019 in Newport, Wales. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

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This season, Wilshere has only started two matches which were the first two games of the season against Manchester City and Brighton. A suspected ankle injury forced him to miss the wins against Watford and Norwich before returning to the bench as an unused sub against Aston Villa.

He would feature as a sub for the next four matches playing just 77 minutes off the bench before picking up another knock. He hasn’t seen game action since. With Pellegrini now gone, Wilshere will have to impress the believed-to-be much more intense training manager, David Moyes, that he’s worthy of sticking around past January.

While injury rehabilitation makes this more difficult, the lack of squad depth provides him the opportunity. With him featuring in nearly every Arsenal “team of the decade” post as January first (his birthday, too!) draws closer, Wilshere’s time at the club has been one gigantic “what if…”

Next. Which former player would you take to manage West Ham?. dark

He has a new manager, a new opportunity, and should he need it can be moved out of the club almost immediately in January. Man, what a revelation a fit Wilshere could be for the Hammers!