Arsene Wenger confirms Jack Wilshere will miss FA Cup showdown with Man United

Having been named on the bench for the match against Crystal Palace 10 days ago, Wilshere was withdrawn from contention to have minor surgery on his ankle which the Arsenal manager said was a planned operation simply brought forward from the summer.

He initially ruled him out for “a few days” a week ago but when asked ahead of tomorrow’s trip to QPR he again said: “Wilshere is doing well but he will take some time to heal the wound after surgery and it will take him a few days.”

Pushed further as to how many a “few” is, Wenger admitted that Wilshere is already ruled out for a game a week ago and he refused even to confirm the England international would play against West Ham, a fortnight following that bench appearance at Selhurst Park.

Wenger admitted: “Next Monday? No. I cannot set any date, but what is for sure is for Manchester United he will not be available.”

Francis Coquelin, on the other hand, is expected to play despite fracturing his nose in the win against Everton on Sunday – although he will need to wear a protective face-mask.

And tomorrow’s game at Loftus Road could see the return of Aaron Ramsey, who has been ruled out since February 10 with a hamstring problem.

“We have Aaron Ramsey back in the squad,” Wenger said. “We will check with the medical people whether Coquelin will be available or not, but there is no reason why he should not be available. Certainly, if he plays, he will wear a mask.”

Wenger also admitted that the team had been weakened in recent weeks by the absence of Ramsey, whose most important challenge it to regain his belief in the capability of his body.

“We’ve missed his energy level, his transitional play from offence to defence and from defence to attack, and his box-to-box quality,” he said. “With a repetition of muscular injury it can put a little bit of a handbrake on your body, and to get rid of that is a psychological problem. Looking at him in training, I don’t think he suffers from that, but you lose a bit of confidence in your body.”

Wenger’s biggest selection dilemma, though, is in the heart of his defence, where he must decide whether to restore likely captain Per Mertesacker to the starting line-up after dropping him against Everton after a poor display against Monaco.

“Like everybody, we are all here to serve the club and raise it above our own interest,” Wenger said. “Per has played many games, has a fantastic mentality, he has great mental stature, absolutely remarkable, and his contribution to the team has been excellent up to now. 

“But I cannot tell you if he will be back in the side, I have not decided yet. Honestly. We bought Gabriel to be a first-team player, and of course, that is the target for him.”