Arsenal's Jack Wilshere staying patient in work to regain fitness

Jack Wilshere continues to work hard in his rehabilitation from a hairline fracture to his left fibula, but he's ensuring he doesn't hasten his return.

The Arsenal midfielder hasn't featured for the club this term after sustaining the injury at the end of the preseason, and is raring to go with England's Euro 2016 campaign on the horizon.

But as someone who's spent many lengthy spells on the sidelines - the current problem is his 16th separate injury to his ankle, foot, or lower leg since 2009 - he's learned a steady return to fitness is the best policy.

"It's going well. I'm working as hard as I can to try to come back. I know what it takes because unfortunately I've been injured a few times in my career and I know what it takes to come back," he told Max Jones from the club's official website.

"I'm not going to rush it. I'll make sure my body's right and at the moment I'm feeling good."

Wilshere's last outing for his country was a 3-2 away win in Slovenia, where the 23-year-old scored two spectacular efforts, and he's disappointed he hasn't had the opportunity to get a full Premier League season under his belt before next year's finals in France.

"I thought, 'This season I need to be fit for the whole season and go into the Euros with a whole season behind me.' Unfortunately on the last day of preseason I got injured so it was probably the toughest one for me to take."

As is often the case with the north London club, Wilshere has had some company in the treatment room, which he said helped during his recovery.

"We all know it's difficult and just being around other people helps. At the moment it's me, Danny (Welbeck) and Tomas (Rosicky) because we're the only ones with long-term injuries. Just being around other people, speaking to them and having a bit of banter with them helps as well."

While there's no official target for Wilshere's return, various predictions state mid-December has a realistic date for the Stevenage native.