Craig Eastmond: 'Jack Wilshere will consider leaving Arsenal'

Jack Wilshere in action during the Premier League game between Everton and Bournemouth on February 4, 2017
© SilverHub
Ex-Arsenal midfielder Craig Eastmond insists that Jack Wilshere "could probably walk into any Premier League team", but is unsure whether he will stick with the Gunners.

Craig Eastmond has claimed that his former Arsenal youth-team teammate Jack Wilshere will spend time weighing up whether to leave the Emirates Stadium in the summer.

The England international has enjoyed a largely injury-free campaign on loan at Bournemouth this term, starting 18 Premier League games in all.

Wilshere's Arsenal future is currently uncertain, however, with the player - in the final 18 months of his contract - himself admitting that he is unsure whether a new deal will be offered.

Eastmond, who will line up against his former club next Monday for Sutton United in the fifth round of the FA Cup, believes that Wilshere has a tough decision to make come the end of the season.

"He's always going to be debating and he's got to think about his career," the Daily Star quotes him as saying. "Is he going to be playing? Is he going to be an unused sub? It depends what he wants to do. He could probably walk into any Premier League team but he must do what's best for him. No-one really wants to leave a club like Arsenal.

"If he's going to leave, he has to go somewhere where he will play week in, week out. He won't want to do the same thing he was going to be doing at Arsenal. There are still players injured at Arsenal, [Santi] Cazorla, [Aaron] Ramsey so it's hard to get into that midfield. He's been out for a long time and there are other players in front of him.

"He needed to get a run of games and he weren't getting that at Arsenal. The best idea was to go to another Premier League club because obviously he has the ability to get into any other first-team in the Premier League. He's got the ability to do anything. I think it was a good idea to get a run of games, get match fit and see what happens at the end of the season."

Wilshere is expected to be fit to face West Bromwich Albion next weekend despite an injury scare when limping off in Bournemouth's defeat to Manchester City.

Aaron Ramsey takes a seat during the Champions League game between Arsenal and PSG on November 23, 2016
Read Next:
Aaron Ramsey ruled out for three weeks
>



Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Chelsea25193352183460
2Manchester CityMan City25164551292252
3Tottenham HotspurSpurs25148346182850
4Arsenal25155554282650
5Liverpool25147454302449
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd25139338211748
7Everton25118640271341
8West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom2510783431337
9Stoke CityStoke258893036-632
10West Ham UnitedWest Ham2595113443-932
11Southampton2586112831-330
12Burnley2593132736-930
13Watford2586112942-1330
14Bournemouth2575133549-1426
15Swansea CitySwansea2573153154-2324
16Middlesbrough25410111927-822
17Leicester CityLeicester2556142443-1921
18Hull City2555152249-2720
19Crystal Palace2554163246-1419
20Sunderland2554162446-2219