Arsenal's Wilshere out with hairline fracture

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere will be sidelined for several weeks after manager Arsene Wenger revealed on Thursday that he has sustained a hairline fracture of his left leg.

The England midfielder, 23, was hurt in a collision with a team-mate in training and Wenger said he would be out of action for "a few weeks".

"The information you have heard about Jack Wilshere is right," Wenger told the club website, confirming reports that had appeared in the British media earlier in the day.

"I had a bad surprise because it is a hairline crack in his fibula that makes him a few weeks out.

"There is minimal damage apart from the bone damage -- there is no damage at all apart from that. It was a collision in training and it was all completely accidental."

Wilshere has a long history of injury problems, particularly concerning his ankles, and was sidelined for five months last season after undergoing surgery on his left ankle.

Arsenal, who beat Chelsea 1-0 in the Community Shield last weekend, open their Premier League campaign at home to West Ham United on Sunday.

Their other games in August are against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Newcastle United, while Wilshere is also likely to be a doubt for England's 2016 European Championship qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland.
Source: AFP