Thursday 20 April 2017 12:39, UK
Arsene Wenger revealed Arsenal are planning Jack Wilshere contract talks in the summer, insisting his latest injury will not affect negotiations.
Wilshere has spent the season on loan at Bournemouth, but suffered yet another injury blow playing for the Cherries against Tottenham on Saturday.
Bournemouth confirmed the 25-year-old had suffered a leg fracture at White Hart Lane, and would miss the rest of the season due to a crack in his fibula.
Wilshere's contract, like teammates Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, expires next summer, but the England international is not in as strong a negotiating position as his teammates such is his injury history.
Nonetheless, Wenger confirmed that contract talks with Wilshere are planned for the summer.
"This injury has nothing to do with the extension of Jack's contract," Wenger said. "I don't know, we haven't entered into any negotiations.
"I think for all these cases where there is only one year to go, we will enter into negotiations during the break."
As well as revealing that the injury is not serious, Wenger confirmed on Thursday the rehab for Wilshere's leg injury will take place at Arsenal over the summer.
"It's sad because Jack is a great football player, has a great football brain and his career has been stopped by many injuries," Wenger said.
"Not recently no [spoken to Wilshere]. I follow the situation closely because he sees a specialist. We think it's a very simple fracture which doesn't need any surgery at all, hopefully he'll be back in July for normal training.
"I think it's a very simple fracture of the fibula and that we need patience, and let's hope that all goes well.
"Well until the end of the season he's a player of Bournemouth but we have a good understanding with the medical staff [at Bournemouth].
"I had a meeting with our medical staff to see how we can liaise and if we have to bring him back but because it's a fracture so there's not a lot to do, just wait until when he can move again. His rehab will certainly be here because the season will be over.
"His loan spell ends at the end of the season so during the break all the rehab will be done here."
Wilshere has made 27 appearances for Bournemouth this season, having endured several injury-ravaged campaigns in north London, something Wenger feels has held Wilshere back from his true potential.
"Today at the top level the most important thing is the consistency of the presence," Wenger added. "When a player has been out for awhile, the game is of such an intensity that it always takes awhile to find the rhythm and get the confidence back.
"A great career doesn't suffer, stop and go, you have to be consistently present. When you look at all the players who are at the top level of the world, like Ronaldo and these guys, they play 50 or 60 games a year.
"They have the luck not to be stopped by injuries, and so it's always sad when a guy of that quality is always stopped by problems."
