Friday 19 / April / 2024
London: Injury-plagued midfielder Jack Wilshere is fit and with a few more games under his belt will be ready to play for England at the European Championship next month, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said.
The 24-year-old, who played a crucial role in England's qualifying campaign, returned to the Premier League from an 11-month spell on the sidelines last month and made his first league start in Arsenal's 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
"He will get stronger and stronger," Wenger told British media. "He has a basic fitness but needs a few games now. He needs two, three games more and he will be ready for England."
England face Russia, Slovakia and Wales in Group B of the 24-team tournament that starts on June 10 in France.
Wilshere, who has 28 caps for England, missed the whole of the 2011-12 season, including Euro 2012, with a stress fracture of the ankle.
Tottenham Hotspur's 5-1 defeat at Newcastle United on Sunday meant Arsenal finished in the top two of the Premier League for the first time since 2005, albeit 10 points adrift of champions Leicester City.
Wenger, who joined the north London club in 1996 and has led Arsenal to a top four finish in every full season, said there would be no lack of funds to buy new players for next season -- the last on his current contract.
"(Majority stakeholder) Stan Kroenke is completely behind myself and the board investing as much money as we want," he said.
"It has to be in respect of a balanced budget, we have resources but the problem is finding players.
"Everybody has money in England and they're all after good players."
