Jack Wilshire (L) and Theo Walcott (R) feel the cold in December 2010 when Arsenal played Partizan Belgrade.
Scribbler – Alex Baker
Jack Wilshire was back in the papers for all the wrong reasons again this week. The Arsenal and England midfield ace was allegedly involved in a nightclub fracas that saw him ejected from the exclusive Café de Paris in London’s West End early Sunday morning.
The player was then filmed taking part in an altercation between two groups of men. Eventually, police were forced to intervene, although no arrests were made.
Wilshire, who hasn’t played a minute of competitive football this season, has been working his way back from a broken leg he suffered in training last August. The player and his manager at Arsenal, Arsene Wenger, have both downplayed this weekend’s incident.
“I’ve spoken to him. It looks to be taken out of proportion a little bit. These are matters we like to keep internal,” said Wenger speaking to the guardian.
“There was no training session the next day. He had a day off.”
However, this is just the latest in a long string of unsavory incidents that include Wilshire being photographed smoking a cigarette outside a London nightclub last year.
Despite the nightclub incidents and Wilshire’s lack of playing time due to his most recent injury, the midfielder is still in the frame to be part of England manager Roy Hodgson’s squad for the Euros this summer.
Wilshire, who is still just 24, remains one of the most promising young midfield talents in English football. Part of his tendency to act out and get into trouble may stem from the frustration of having had a career that thus far, has been severely hampered by injuries.
A product of Arsenal’s academy system, Wilshire broke into the first team at the age of 16. However, three years later he suffered a stress fracture to his ankle during preseason that saw him sidelined for 15 months. Since then, he’s been plagued by a litany of injuries, and tabloid incidents.
The player is currently on the verge of returning from his latest setback and is set to feature in Arsenal’s under-21 game against Newcastle United on Friday night. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s senior squad will travel across London on Saturday for a Premier League clash with West Ham United.
(Photos by ISI, Javier Garcia, and Joe Toth)
