Jack Wilshere has been out all season for Arsenal, and his absence has been sorely missed. The box-to-box midfielder emerged as one of the best players in England last season, and the Gunners couldn’t wait to see him in action this season.

Sadly, it appears that they will have to keep waiting. Earlier this month, the Daily Mail said that Wilshere was ready to resume full training and would require just two weeks of conditioning.

Hopes were high that he would be able to feature in Arsenal clash with AC Milan. Arsenal fans began to consider Wilshere akin to a new signing for the club.

However,  the Guardian reports that Wilshere has suffered a setback just as he was set to resume training.

“It is not yet known exactly how long the midfielder will be out of action although there are fears he could miss the rest of the season.”

This news could be a typical overreaction by the British press or worryingly, Wilshere may miss even more time.

The Guardian stated that:

Wenger has made it clear that he does not intend to strengthen his squad in January any further than the short-term loan acquisition of Thierry Henry from New York Red Bulls and so Wilshere has come to resemble a star new signing in waiting.

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The situation now is urgent, though. Arsenal was counting on Wilshere to bolster their midfield. Right now, it would appear that Wenger must dip into the transfer market or purchase a midfielder on loan.

Aaron Ramsey’s performance in recent games has been slightly less than ideal. He likely would have been replaced by Jack Wilshere in the starting XI.

The Guardian detailed Arsene Wenger’s potential selection crisis.

Aaron Ramsey appears most at risk, given that he has occupied the more advanced role that had been earmarked for Wilshere but the Wales captain can also play deeper, where Mikel Arteta and Alex Song have formed a partnership.

All this, though, is irrelevant with the recent Wilshere injury scare. Arsene Wenger now has to buy an attacking midfielder to push Aaron Ramsey and provide cover for the entire midfield.

The situation in the midfield is tenuous. Emmanuel Frimpong is out on loan, Francis Coquelin is out injured and Mikel Arteta has had injury troubles lately. We all saw how Arsenal struggled without Arterta, but the lack of depth is worrying as well.

Right now, Arsenal has Tomas Rosicky as cover. That is all. Yossi Benayoun can deputize if necessary but is better suited for the wing.

Arsene Wenger should look into buying a player such as Yoann Gourcuff or even Kaka (even though this is unlikely due to his wages). The point is that the Gunners need midfield cover in light of Wilshere’s injury. It would be a shame to throw away points because of a weak midfield situation.