Wilshere a major doubt for England match as wasteful Arsenal are booed
ARSENAL midfielder Jack Wilshere looks set to miss England’s friendly against Holland next week after picking up an ankle injury yesterday.
Wilshere (right) was withdrawn after just seven minutes of a 1-1 draw with New York Red Bulls, which saw the American side pip the Gunners to the Emirates Cup.
The 19-year-old is expected to be sidelined all week, meaning he would miss Arsenal’s final pre-season friendly against Benfica on Saturday and the visit of the Dutch to Wembley four days later.
“They say he might be out for the whole of next week because he has an ankle inflammation,” said manager Arsene Wenger.
“If he is out next week, he will not play against Benfica so he will certainly not play for England.”
Wenger preferred to be optimistic about a player he called “a quick healer and a tough boy”, adding: “It is not very serious. I hope he will be quicker than the medical predictions.”
The Arsenal boss, meanwhile, was phlegmatic about a handful of jeers following the game, in which his side once again surrendered a lead, as they had done on Saturday against Boca Juniors.
“You have to take that in perspective,” he said. “People always want to win, that I can understand, but I don’t think we need to put any extra pressure on ourselves now. The most important thing is to prepare and take the pressure on when the result matters.”
Wenger was frustrated, however, after referee Kevin Friend refused to allow Red Bulls striker and former Arsenal star Thierry Henry to swap teams for the closing stages.