Arsène Wenger has ruled out both Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere from England’s matches against Lithuania and Italy at the end of the month. Oxlade-Chamberlain damaged his hamstring in Arsenal’s FA Cup win at Manchester United on Monday night and scans have shown a small tear which will necessitate a three or four week absence. The update on Wilshere, though, was more of a surprise.
The midfielder suffered serious ankle ligament damage in the home Premier League defeat to United on 22 November, which would require surgery and, at the end of February, he underwent a further procedure to remove a couple of screws that were causing him irritation. The more minor operation had originally been planned for the end of the season but it was decided to bring it forward. Wenger said at the time that Wilshere would be out for “just a few days”. He had returned briefly to the squad as an unused substitute at Crystal Palace on 21 February.
But Wenger said on Friday morning that Wilshere would continue to be unavailable for at least another two and a half weeks and that the England games would “come too soon” for him. Roy Hodgson’s team face Lithuania in a Euro 2016 qualifier at Wembley on 27 March and Italy in a friendly in Turin four days later. The manager announces his squad next Thursday.
Wenger said that he had not yet spoken to Hodgson about Oxlade-Chamberlain or Wilshere. “Jack will not be fit [for England],” Wenger said. “We are 13 March. So in 17 days, I don’t think he will be available to be in an international game. It’s taken a bit longer and I don’t really know why at the moment. I’m hopeful it’s a matter of weeks now.
“Jack had a little inflammation of his ankle, so we decided to do it [the minor operation]. We had to rest him anyway, so we decided to get these screws off, instead of doing it at the end of the season. At the end of the season, there is England [duty] again. We wanted to combine both together.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain had played well in the cup quarter-final at Old Trafford only to be forced off early in the second half. “It’s very frustrating for him because he played more games than ever this season,” Wenger said. “In the last two months, I feel he was a bit in and out.
“He has shown again on Monday night what an important player he can be for Arsenal and for England. It’s a shame that in the final sprint, he’s not there. It is affecting him because he loves to play. He is keen to play for England and it is a big blow for him. It is not an ideal moment.”
Wenger said that the young right-back Héctor Bellerín, who has broken into the first-team this season, would be offered a new long-term contract. He also reported that Mikel Arteta had returned to full training, after a calf and ankle injury, and was three weeks away from fitness. Mathieu Flamini is available for Saturday’s visit of West Ham United after hamstring trouble.