Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere out six weeks with foot fracture

Jack Wilshere suffered injury during an English friendly with Denmark. (Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images) Arsenal midfielder and English

Jack Wilshere suffered injury during an English friendly with Denmark. (Michael Regan - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

Arsenal midfielder and English international Jack Wilshere has been ruled out for six weeks after suffering a hairline fracture in his left foot during England's Wednesday friendly against Denmark.

Wilshere played 59 minutes of England's 1-0 victory over Denmark, but he actually sustained the injury relatively early in the match after he was clipped by Danish defender Daniel Agger. At first, it appeared Wilshere's injury was merely a bruise, but further tests by Arsenal's medical staff indicated a more serious problem.

A statement by Arsenal clarified Wilshere's injury:

Following initial scans carried out by the FA on Wednesday night, further investigation by Arsenal’s medical team has discovered a crack to a small bone in Jack’s left foot - the navicular, an area of his foot which has not been previously injured.

Wilshere is one of several key Arsenal players dealing with injuries at the moment. Winger Theo Walcott will be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury, while midfielder Aaron Ramsey has not played since December due to a thigh injury.

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The injury is the latest blow to Arsenal's title hopes, which have taken a hit recently as the Gunners have only won one Premier League match in the last month. After leading the Premier League table for much of this season, Arsenal recently slipped to third place with 59 points. Chelsea currently tops the table at 63 points.

Wilshere's injury comes at a bad time, as the team enters perhaps its toughest stretch of the season. The squad plays Everton in an FA Cup quarterfinal this Saturday and Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League next week. In Premier League action, Arsenal will face Tottenham, Chelsea, Swansea City and Manchester City throughout March, a difficult slate for a team looking to remain a title contender.

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