Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere facing lengthy layoff with leg injury

• England midfielder has suspected hairline fracture of his left fibula
• Wilshere expected to miss England’s qualifiers in September

Jack Wilshere missed almost six months of last season with an ankle injury.

Jack Wilshere is facing another period on the sidelines after reports he has suffered a suspected hairline fracture of his left fibula in an incident during training.

The England midfielder, who missed nearly six months of last season after injuring his ankle in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford on 22 November, was omitted from the side who beat Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley in Sunday’s Community Shield, and afterwards Arsène Wenger said the player would only be out for “days”.

However, it now appears Wilshere’s injury is much worse than originally feared, with Arsenal prepared for bad news when the full extent of the damage to his left fibula is revealed by scans on Friday. Unconfirmed reports suggested he was injured by a tackle from the Brazilian defender Gabriel.

If he requires surgery, the 23-year-old could be out for up to three months but could be back with six to eight weeks if not. Wilshere’s availability for England’s next two Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland at the start of September now appears very unlikely.