Martin Keown believes that Jack Wilshere's struggles with fitness will be taking an emotional toll on Arsene Wenger, the man who has nurtured his career for two decades.
The former Arsenal centre-half insists, however, that Wilshere will "certainly" be offered a new deal at the club.
Wilshere, who became Arsenal's youngest ever Premier League player when he made his debut against Blackburn in 2008, was handed the No.10 shirt by Wenger and has been seen by many as a future captain. Persistent injury problems have blighted his career, though, and fears over a lack of first team football drove him to join Bournemouth on loan last season.
Strong performances followed and Eddie Howe was impressed with the Hale End graduate, even inquiring about his availability on a permanent basis. But Wilshere's season, as it so often has been, was curtailed by injury.
Now back in north London and with just 12 months remaining on his contract, speculation over his future has been slowly building. Keown, though tells Mirror Sport that Wenger has invested too much to give up on a player he rates so highly.
"We know Jack is a special talent," says Keown. "His injuries have marred his career. It must be tough for Arsene Wenger to watch. How many times has he broken ankles and had operations?
"His quality isn't in doubt, it's his health that's the issue. There are some big decisions to be made but I would feel he is someone Wenger would try to keep. Somebody that he will try to support."
He adds: "They certainly will offer him a new contract."
Wilshere's last deal, signed in 2012, was worth £80,000 week and spanned five years. Keown feels a similar length, considering the fitness issues, is unlikely to be offered again.
"Whether or not the player will get quite the lucrative contract he might have got in the past, or the length of the contract, may be an issue but he will try to support him because he's a huge fan," Keown continues. "Jack's come through the youth system. He will try and protect him as best he can but what the player needs is luck.
"He's gone from playing for England to not being first team selection at Bournemouth and that will hurt him. He may well have got injured but he sat and watched a lot of football last season when he was at Bournemouth. He needs to get fit again, but we've said that so many times."
Wilshere is not the only English footballer whose future is in doubt at the Emirates. Theo Walcott, who struggled for consistency after a strong start to the last campaign, is a target for West Ham while Calum Chambers returns from his loan at Middlesbrough to find himself some way off the first team.
"He [Chambers] is playing for the England Under-21s at the moment and he's playing very well," says Keown. "What happens now is up to Wenger. He's got to look at it and work out whether there is really a chance for him to play or not.
"There's talk of Everton being interested in him and that could be a good club for him. He wants to play first team football and if you go back to Arsenal, those sorts of decisions need to be made.
"[Carl] Jenkinson's another one. It's not healthy to have too many players not playing football each week so I'm sure Arsene Wenger will make key decisions on those players this summer."
On Walcott, he adds: "It looked as though Theo Walcott was out of the picture [towards the end of the season]."
Martin Keown was speaking at the McDonald's & FA Community Football Day in Woburn celebrating 15 years of McDonald’s partnering with the four UK home nations & supporting grassroots football. For more information visit www.mcdonalds.co.uk/betterplay