Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has backed Jack Wilshere to recover from his latest injury setback.
The 25-year-old had been enjoying one of the best spells of his injury-plagued career on loan with the Cherries this season, but his campaign was brought to a premature end when he suffered a broken leg during last weekend's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Howe insists that it is only a "minor setback" for the England international and remained coy when questioned over whether he would look to bring Wilshere back to the club next season.
"He is naturally down and disappointed he is going to miss the rest of the season, but he is a positive guy and will come back from this, I have no doubt. His loan spell for us has been hugely beneficial, and hopefully Jack would feel the same way. I am not going to speak for him, but thoughts are that he made a huge contribution for us on the pitch and also off the pitch, which obviously no-one else will see," he told reporters.
"I don't want to disrespect Arsenal in any way, because he is their player and we are very grateful for the loan. I have spoken many times about my thoughts on the player, for the person - we love him to bits, but the future is unknown and obviously he is an Arsenal player now. All I would say in football is, let's wait and see.
"I think it is still there for Jack, you have to remember how young a player he is, he still has a lot of football ahead of him. Obviously any injury to any player can make it more difficult to reach your full potential, there is no denying that, but I have seen Jack steadily improve week by week since he has been with us.
"[It has been] physically really, being able to play 90 minutes and get that run of games under his belt that he needed. This, I think, is a minor setback in what has been a really encouraging season."
Wilshere had made 27 Premier League appearances this season before his injury - his highest total since the 2010-11 campaign.
Barney Corkhill
