Arsene Wenger gives an update on Mesut Ozil's fitness issue.
This could be the week that decides Jack Wilshere's Arsenal future.
Even before Mesut Ozil was struck by another illness, Wednesday's home game against Huddersfield already looked like the perfect time for Arsene Wenger to hand Wilshere his first Premier League start of the season.
A midweek home game against a promoted side ahead of Saturday's crucial clash with Manchester United -- what better time to rest one of his regular starters and finally give Wilshere a proper run-out with the first team?
Now that Ozil is set to miss the game with an illness anyway, a start for Wilshere looks even more likely. And it could be his final chance to prove he is back to his best and should be handed a new contract.
"Sometimes you need that lucky break and then you can fight and keep your position," Wilshere told the Arsenal website this weekend ahead of Sunday's 1-0 win at Burnley, before Ozil got ill.
It looks like Wilshere got his lucky break. Now the fight is up to him.
Of course, Wenger could opt to play either Alex Iwobi or Danny Welbeck in Ozil's place instead -- both of them have much more playing time in the league than Wilshere this season. But with contract talks set for December with Wilshere, the midfielder must surely be given at least one opportunity to show he can be a viable alternative to Ozil -- especially given the uncertainty surrounding the German's future as well.
Wenger may have tough decisions to make on both Wilshere and Ozil over the coming month, as both players could leave for free next summer. But any decision on Wilshere can only be made based on incomplete information until we see him play full games in the Premier League.
It's hard to see Ozil and Wilshere co-existing in this team -- not only because Ozil covets Wilshere's No. 10 shirt but because they want the same role on the pitch -- and the chances of them both being at the club next season look slim to none. But Arsenal can hardly afford to lose them both, either.
Jack Wilshere's Arsenal deal expires at the end of the season.
If Ozil ends up leaving, either in January or next summer, a fully fit Wilshere is the closest thing Arsenal have to a direct replacement and could see himself restored as the first-choice No 10.
If the German ends up staying, Wilshere might be better off leaving the club he loves for the sake of a starting role elsewhere.
But in a World Cup year, Wilshere can't afford to sit around and be a fall-back option until Ozil's future is resolved. He needs to prove not just to Wenger, but to England coach Gareth Southgate and potential January suitors as well, that he can be counted on.
That proof will only come from performances in the Premier League. Despite a trouble-free run of games in the Europa League and Carabao Cup, questions still remain about Wilshere's ability to stay fit for an entire season. The only way to find out is to play him more often than once every other week or so.
Even at his very best, Wilshere doesn't quite have Ozil's ability to pick out those perfect defence-splitting passes the German excels at. But he offers a different type of threat with his ability to drive at defenders and no one has ever questioned his work ethic on the pitch. And unlike Ozil, there is no doubt about whether Wilshere wants to spend the rest of his career at the Emirates.
"I want to stay here and play," he told the club website. "I've been at this club for 10 years, I don't have to say how much this club means to me, how good they have been to me. But at the same time, the boss has got to be honest with me and I'm sure he will be."
A manager never gets more honest than with his team selections. So Wednesday's starting lineup will show Wilshere and everyone else just how keen Wenger is on keeping him at the club.
Mattias is ESPN FC's Arsenal correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @MattiasKaren.
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Source: espn.co.uk