Arsenal star Wilshere ruled out: has his injury jinx returned?

HAS Jack Wilshere's injury jinx returned? The Arsenal midfielder has been ruled out of the Gunners' game against Bayern Munich in the Champions League tomorrow and will also miss England's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro later this month.

The 21-year-old picked up an injury in the north London derby and has failed to recover in time, despite being sent to Dubai to recuperate. He is now expected to be out for three weeks.

Wilshere missed all of last season thanks to a series of problems with his right ankle but Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said on Tuesday that the latest problem was with the joint on his left foot.

The player is only expected to miss one Premier League game for the Gunners (against Swansea next Saturday), and with Arsenal having little or no chance of beating Bayern Munich after losing 3-1 in the first leg, the timing of Wilshere’s lay-off could be a lot worse for the club.

"For us it is not welcome, but maybe for him it is not too bad that he has a little breather,” said Wenger, who has often complained about the effects of internationals on his players.

"It is more about prevention. We trust people who are specialists in this area and they told us we have to stop him for a short period."

The manager added that what kept Wilshere out of football for 16 months in 2011/12 was a minor ankle injury that "deteriorated" into a stress fracture. "That's what we don't want to happen," said Wenger.

But some have raised concerns about Wilshere's future. "There is a widely held fear that the club's most influential player could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines," reports Goal.com.

The BBC, which notes that Wilshere has become a key figure for England despite having only seven caps, says: "This latest blow is yet another set-back for Wilshere in a career that has been hampered by injury problems." ·