We're a different team with Jack, says Pellegrini

  • by Staff Writer
  • Tuesday, 16th July 2019

Manuel Pellegrini says that a fit Jack Wilshere will change the way West Ham play next season.

Wilshere arrived in Stratford a year ago this month but had barely got started before suffering a re-occurrence of an old ankle injury, which required surgery.

Despite initially reports suggesting the former Arsenal midfielder would be out for around six weeks, it wasn't until April that he made his long-awaited comeback in an Under 23s fixture against Leicester City.

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Having ended the season back in the first team with three appearances against Leicester, Southampton and Watford, and having thus far enjoyed an injury-free pre-season, Wilshere is ready to go once again.

And manager Manuel Pellegrini is in no doubt that a fit Wilshere will make a huge difference to West Ham's approach whilst improving the team's overall technical ability.

"I think everyone knows Jack Wilshere as a player," the manager, who is currently in China with his first team squad ahead of tomorrow's Asia Trophy semi final against Manchester City, told whufc.com.

"Unfortunately for us, last season he couldn't play too often because he had different injuries - but now he is working every day with no problems. With his quality, of course the team will change.

"He's a technical player who will provide a lot of important passes for forwards in and around the opposition box, so I hope for him and for the team that he can play a full season."

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Wilshere's career has been punctuated by a succession of injuries.

Since the 2010/11 campaign, when he registered 35 league appearances for Arsenal, he had featured no more than on 27 occasions (during the 2016/17 season whilst on loan at Bournemouth).

However having enjoyed a injury-free run since April, both Wilshere and Pellegrini will be hoping he can finally justify the faith West Ham placed in the 27-year-old when signing him on a free transfer last summer.

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