Sunday, 28th October, 2012
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed he chose not to tell Jack Wilshere he was playing against QPR yesterday to save the midfielder from having to cope with the high expectation surrounding his comeback.
The 20-year-old had been out of action for 15 months in a long, long injury layoff which began after he suffered a stress fracture to his ankle during a pre-season friendly against New York Red Bulls in 2011.
Wenger eased Wilshere back into action yesterday, playing the England star for 67 minutes against the Rs in Premier League action.
And the Frenchman, who was delighted to see one of his team’s most technically gifted players return to action, revealed that he had not told Wilshere until late on that he would be in the starting eleven, to avoid giving the midfielder unnecessary worries.
"You could see technically he is there, and he gave everything, and what he is missing he will get through competition", said Wenger to his club’s official site.
"He still misses a bit of the pace of the game, the rhythm of the game, but overall what he did was class.
relatedNewsStory"I made the decision without telling him because when you have not played for such a long time it is not always easy to deal with that and there is a high level of expectation when he goes on the pitch.
"I also felt the confidence of the team was a bit jaded and sometimes players with experience and quality give a bit of a lift as well."
The hard-fought 1-0 victory over QPR, secured via a late Mikel Arteta goal, gives the Gunners a boost, ending as it does a run of two defeats on the bounce.
And while Wilshere may not yet be ready to clock up 90 minutes under his belt, for Wenger his return is akin to having made a top class signing in central midfield.
