Arsenal finishing second would be evidence of a 'massive progression,' claims Jack Wilshere

The England midfielder has just returned to action for his club after a long injury layoff

Jack Wilshere looked sharp in his return from injury (Getty Images)

Jack Wilshere claims that Arsenal finishing second in the Premier League would be evidence of a “massive progression” by the club.

The midfielder, who made his return to first-team action as a substitute in Monday’s 3-1 win at Hull after five months out following an ankle operation, said finishing as runners-up to Chelsea “would set a marker for next season and would be a progression from last year”.

He added: “The last few seasons we’ve finished fourth, so to finish two places ahead of that would be a massive progression for us and hopefully will give us confidence going into next season.”

Manager Arsène Wenger said Wilshere’s 20 minutes on the pitch at the KC Stadium showed he had recovered all his “burst and acceleration” and should guarantee the 23-year-old a place on the bench for the FA Cup final against Aston Villa on 30 May.

Wilshere was just glad to be back in action. “That’s the most important thing for me,” he said. “It’s frustrating when you’re out but when you’re back on the pitch it makes up for all the time you spent injured. It’s much better for me to come into a team who are winning and playing as well as that. It’s easy because you can fit in when the boss is ready to include you.”

Wenger suggested Wilshere might even have been trying too hard to make an impact after coming on for Aaron Ramsey. “It’s great and he’s sharp,” he said. “Maybe he felt too sharp because he wanted to always make the difference, but it’s good. You could see that he has found his burst again. Let’s be patient with him.”

PA