Wilshere ruled out for England

Wilshere ruled out for England

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger insists Jack Wilshere has 'no chance' of playing in England's European Championship matches against Bulgaria and Wales.

Wilshere suffered a setback in training on Monday during his recovery from the ankle injury that was initially expected to rule him out for one week but now looks certain to sideline him for a minimum of six.

The midfielder's absence would be a big blow to England manager Fabio Capello, who is already without Steven Gerrard for the crucial Euro 2012 qualifiers with Bulgaria on 2nd September and Wales four days later.

It is also more bad news for beleaguered Arsenal boss Wenger, who said: "No chance he will be fit for England.

"It's not ideal for us on the day we sell (Samir) Nasri."

Serious

Wenger claims Wilshere's problems dated back to England's qualifier against Switzerland in June.

The 19-year-old was thought to have recovered over the summer but he limped off after just seven minutes of the Gunners' Emirates Cup match with New York Red Bulls in July.

Club doctors predicted a week's absence but the injury turned out to be more serious and he was forced to use the protective boot, which he is now wearing again.

Wenger said: "He had a setback. It's a hotspot on the bone of his ankle that if you continue to play, it can lead to a stress fracture. So we had to stop him.

"He felt the first sign in the second half of the game against Switzerland. After that, during the holidays, it was all right and then his pain increased when we were on tour in Asia.

Breakthrough

"We had two good test days on Friday and Saturday. Yesterday morning, we had a test with the squad and he felt it again."

Wenger repeatedly expressed concern last term about the number of games played by Wilshere in his breakthrough season at the Emirates.

The Frenchman won his running battle with England Under 21 counterpart Stuart Pearce over Wilshere's inclusion in the squad for the summer's European Championship in Denmark.

Wenger said: "He was in the red like I told you and, in fairness, what nobody wanted to hear.

"We knew he was in the red in the last two months and we continued to play him because we had no choice. But maybe it is a consequence of the overuse last year."