Jack Wilshere will pull on an Arsenal shirt for the first time in eight months after Steve Gatting named the midfielder in the starting lineup for the Under-21s’ match with Newcastle at the Emirates.
Wilshere has been sidelined with a broken fibula since early August and returned to training with the first team squad last week.
Having not made a competitive appearance since inspiring England to a 3-2 win in Slovenia Arsene Wenger expects Wilshere to play in several U21 matches before he is given an opportunity in the first team and the 24-year-old is in line to start in either of the games away to Derby and Swansea next week.
With just over a month remaining until Roy Hodgson names his England squad for Euro 2016 Wilshere has little time to prove the match sharpness that his national head coach has said is a requirement for the midfielder to be guaranteed a place in the 23-man party.
Ahead of his first football match of the season Wenger backed Wilshere to prove those who have criticised his off-field controversies wrong when he returns to the pitch.
“What you want is for your players to behave well, of course,” he said. “But first of all to perform well on the football pitch. That's their job.
“Today the judgment is just on the last performance. Let him recover, prepare, come back and if he does well for England at the European Championship he'll be the hero.”
