• Premier League

Arsenal's Jack Wilshere: My ankles are loose not brittle

Jack Wilshere sustained ankle ligament damage after a Paddy McNair tackle last weekend © Getty Images

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Jack Wilshere has hit out at claims that his long history of ankle injuries can be blamed on brittle bones.

Wilshere has been ruled out for three months after undergoing surgery this week on damaged ankle ligaments, but the Arsenal midfielder insisted the injury could have been even worse were it not for his "loose joints".

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Wilshere's new setback, suffered during last Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, is the latest in a series of similar injuries - the 22-year-old has suffered a total of 13 problems with a foot or ankle.

On Thursday, the Daily Mirror's online football brand Row Zed published an article entitled '11 things stronger than Jack Wilshere's ankles', which drew an angry response from the player on Friday morning.

In a post on his Instagram account that included a picture of McNair's tackle on him, Wilshere wrote: "We all know the media like to talk nonsense, not all of them, but most! And most of it I can take... however after being shown an article in @DailyMirror saying I have 'Worlds most Brittle ankles'. @bigrichinnes clearly doesn't know what 'brittle' means, as this picture clearly shows' most people/players would have broken their ankle if someone tackled them like this.

"Luckily I have 'loose joints', not brittle' and only damaged ligaments. #Fool #GetTheFacts."

We all know the media like to talk nonsense, not all of them, but most! And most of it I can take...however after being shown an article in @DailyMirror saying I have 'Worlds most Brittle ankles'. @bigrichinnes clearly doesn't know what 'brittle' means, as this picture clearly shows' most people/players would have broken their ankle if someone tackled them like this. Luckily I have 'loose joints', not brittle' and only damaged ligaments. #Fool #GetTheFacts

A photo posted by Jack Wilshere (@jackwilshere) on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:37pm PST

He then posted another picture of the same tackle from a different angle with the words: "Here's another one for you @bigrichinnes please feel free to challenge what I'm saying! #LazyJournalism."

Here's another one for you @bigrichinnes please feel free to challenge what I'm saying! #LazyJournalism

A photo posted by Jack Wilshere (@jackwilshere) on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:46pm PST

Wilshere is set to miss key Premier League trips to Liverpool (December 21), Manchester City (January 18) and Tottenham (Februray 7), as well as the first leg of Arsenal's last-16 tie in the Champions League and several rounds of the FA Cup as he recovers from his latest operation.

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