JACK WILSHERE has been offered a footballing lifeline – with Wigan Athletic open to taking the former Arsenal and West Ham midfielder on board.
Wigan chairman Talal Al Hammad has tweeted Wilshere saying he is ‘most welcome’ to turn out for the League One side.
The 29-year-old is without a club with Bournemouth choosing not to offer Wilshere a new contract after he spent six months with the Cherries during the second half of last season.
But Wigan fans shouldn’t get their hopes up of seeing the 34-cap England international turn out at the DW stadium.
Wilshere has suggested that a move abroad would be the best option for him at this point in his career after even considering retirement.
In a revealing interview with The Athletic, he explained: “I’ve said before that I’m open to going abroad. In fact, I probably want to go abroad.
“I want to try something different. I think it’ll be good for me, for my life, for my family.
“Have a fresh start somewhere where people, clubs, fans don’t think, ‘Oh, that’s Jack Wilshere. He’s going to get injured today’, or, ‘He’ll play five games and that’s it… waste of an investment.”
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Wilshere left Arsenal for West Ham three years ago, but left just 12 months into a three-year deal, starting only six Premier League games.
He told the Athletic that he still has the ‘hunger’ to play the game, but is yet to respond to Wigan’s contract offer.
The midfielder suffered serious ankle problems and a broken leg during his ten year spell at Arsenal, with persistent injuries following him after his move to the London Stadium.
During his time at the Emirates Wilshere made 198 appearances, including THAT display against Barcelona in the 2011 Champions League last-sixteen that has gone down in Arsenal history.
A 19-year-old Wilshere put in a man of the match display in a 2-1 win against the Catalan giants during the height of their European dominance.
He was the best player on the pitch that day despite lining up against footballing legends Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets in the heart of midfield.
A move to League One side Wigan would represent some difference to games like those, but it would likely offer Wilshere the opportunity to get back to playing first team football on a regular basis.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
