After seeing the video of Jack Wilshere’s ankle buckle grotesquely under a challenge from Manchester United defender Paddy McNair, nothing surprising here.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed that Jack Wilshere is suffering from a “big ankle sprain” and that he will see a specialist to determine the extent of the injury as well as how to proceed.
Wenger said Wilshere will be “out for a few games” but wouldn’t get into specifics because “I’m not a specialist medically.”
Paired with the video, it’s actually good news to Arsenal fans that - so far - no ligament damage has been reported or suspected. However, given the 22-year-old’s history with ankle problems, this could be a bigger problem than one would normally expect for a serious sprain.
He certainly won’t play today against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, but with Arsenal just needing a draw in its final two matches to make the knockout rounds, the bigger concern will be the Premier League campaign. The Gunners have matches with second-place Southampton, rolling Newcastle, and Liverpool in the coming month, and with the club sitting in 8th position - two points behind a Champions League place, nine points behind second, and 15 back of the top - they need to make a move now.
Wilshere tried at first to carry on in the Manchester United match after the initial injury, but could not continue. Santi Cazorla replaced the injured midfielder in the 55th minute, but he looked erratic and at times made some puzzling decisions in his appearance.
Also out for today are goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and winger Theo Walcott, while Olivier Giroud is ineligible and Laurent Koscielny is ready to return.
