21 May 2011 14:09:00
Jack Wilshere, England(Getty Images)
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Arsenal have reportedly compiled a series of statistics to help persuade the FA to prevent Jack Wilshere from playing in the U21 European Championships this summer, according to the Daily Mail.
The teenager has enjoyed a meteoric rise this season, becoming a regular fixture in the senior England team, and manager Arsene Wenger is keen to protect his precious talent.
Arsenal have reportedly used ProZone, software used by clubs to monitor players’ movement, to prove Wilshere is exhausted.
The club’s sport scientists claim their player’s performance in recent weeks has been lower than that of the beginning of the season, as he is covering less ground due to fatigue after a long season.
Wenger is wary of protecting Wilshere from injury after previously regretting playing Robert Pires in a game against Newcastle when he thought the player was tired – Pires went on to rupture his cruciate knee ligaments in the game.
Wilshere has certainly slumped in the Castrol EDGE Rankings. The youngster was ranked at no. 245 in March but has fallen to his current spot of 283.