Arsenal injury news: Jack Wilshere primed for Christmas return as Gunners look to avert crisis

Jack Wilshere's recovery from injury is going as scheduled and the midfielder is set to return to full training by Christmas next month. The midfielder has not kicked a ball for the Gunners this season after sustaining a hairline fracture in training before the season started.

The Mirror reports that the 23-year-old is expected to play a part in the Gunners' hectic holiday period, when they play Southampton, Bournemouth and Newcastle United within days of each other. His availability will be a massive boost for Arsene Wenger, whose team is going through a crisis of sorts in terms of injuries, having had 10 players unavailable for their game against Bayern Munich before the international break.

Wilshere will be hoping for a sustained period on the pitch, having failed to reach his potential owing to a barrage of setbacks which kept him out of action over the past few seasons. His driving runs through midfield will give Wenger something different to counter teams who prefer to sit back while Roy Hodgson will also be keeping a keen eye on his development, given the way England were carved open by Spain in a recent international friendly.

A good run in the Premier League will open up opportunities for him in the European Championships scheduled in France next year. Wilshere has recently been hailed by Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez as having the potential to be one of the best midfielders in the world and the player needs to grab the opportunity and stamp his authority in the footballing arena.

Meanwhile, the Gunners will be boosted by the imminent return to action of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Hector Bellerin and Aaron Ramsey, with the trio likely to be available for their game against West Bromwich Albion. Chamberlain is back in full training while the others are also primed for a return to first team action, in what can be a decisive run of fixtures in the race for the title.