Arsene Wenger has told Jack Wilshere his hopes of earning a new contract at Arsenal will be tied to whether he can regain his fitness.
Wilshere is facing a race to prove his worth to Arsenal boss Wenger in the final season of his current contract but made an encouraging start in the 1-0 EFL Cup third round win over Doncaster.
The 25-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth, completed 90 minutes in an Arsenal shirt for the first time in nearly three years, combining well with Alexis Sanchez and making several crucial contributions in attack and defence.
Wenger was evasive over the topic of a new deal for Wilshere when questioned by Standard Sport after Wednesday’s win but confirmed at his pre-West Brom press conference that no talks had taken place over new terms.
“It is down to the fact – and I have said this many times – that he can remain fit or not,” Wenger said of Wilshere’s future.
“He’s an Arsenal man and an Arsenal player.
“He would certainly like to stay but we haven’t spoken about that because at the start of the season I thought we had to see how it evolves and see what kind of influence he can have in the squad through the whole season.”
Wenger first revealed his intention to offer Wilshere a new contract over a year ago and subsequently claimed in April that talks were planned for the summer. It is understood no such talks have taken place.
Wilshere is unlikely to be handed a starting role in Arsenal’s next Premier League game, the visit of West Brom to the Hawthorns on Monday, but is expected to be part of the travelling squad who take on BATE Borisov in the Europa League next Thursday.
