Jack Wilshere: Arsene Wenger faces familiar questions over Jack Wilshere's off-field behaviour ahead of Arsenal's derby with Tottenham

Wenger faces the media on Friday morning ahead of the north London derby

Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere (Getty Images)

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will again be faced with questions over off-field issues when he faces the media ahead of the north London derby against Tottenham.

Photos of Jack Wilshere holding a shisha pipe at a nightclub were posted on social media earlier this week - and Arsenal are to seek clarification from the England international, currently recovering from ankle surgery, over the circumstances of the incident.

The picture, which is understood to been taken during a night out with friends in central London last week, was uploaded to Instagram - before being removed and replaced with an edited version where only Wilshere's face is visible in the background.

However, the original snap, where the Gunners player held the shisha pipe, was then subsequently reposted on Twitter, sparking much debate across social media as to the player's behaviour ahead of Saturday's north London derby at Tottenham.

Arsenal take a dim view on players smoking.

In January, goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was hit with a £25,000 fine after it emerged he lit up in the showers following the 2-0 defeat at Southampton on New Year's Day, since when the Pole has not started a Barclays Premier League match.

Wilshere's representatives said they had nothing further to add when contacted by the Press Association on Thursday.

The latest revelations around Wilshere - criticised in the past for two high-profile incidents of being pictured with a cigarette, the previous occasion while on holiday in Las Vegas last summer with England goalkeeper Joe Hart following the 2014 World Cup - are an unwelcome distraction to Wenger as he prepares his squad for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off at White Hart Lane, with the subject now set to dominate the agenda at Friday's morning media conference.

On the pitch, leading scorer Alexis Sanchez will again be out because of a hamstring injury but England forward Danny Welbeck is in line to make a return after being out since December 28 with a thigh problem.

Wenger confirmed to the Arsenal club website: "Alexis is not ready. He is not far away, the Leicester game is a possibility. He is of course very difficult to keep quiet. He is training, but it's light training."

Wenger added Wilshere was set to be "back in full training next week, hopefully from Sunday."

PA