Keown: Wilshere certain to stay at Arsenal

He may have spent the last season on loan at Bournemouth but Jack Wilshere will certainly be offered a new contract at Arsenal, according to Martin Keown.

The midfielder was offloaded for the entire campaign to the Cherries after finding first team opportunities at the Emirates hard to come by.

But Wilshere largely failed to impress and his misery was compounded after suffering a hairline fracture to his left fibula at White Hart Lane to end his season early.

The England international has just one year left on his contract but Keown believes Arsene Wenger will put his faith in the 25-year-old.

“They certainly will offer him a new contract,” the Arsenal legend said.

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“We know Jack is a special talent. 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.

“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.

“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.”