Arsenal legend Nigel Winterburn expects Jack Wilshere to remain in England.
Wilshere announced that he would be leaving Arsenal last week.
The England international had hoped to remain at the Gunners and was even prepared to take a pay-cut, however he had no choice but to leave after he did not receive assurances over first-team football from new manager Unai Emery.
Wilshere has struggled for consistency during recent seasons amidst injury problems.
On his good days, he is however a destructive midfielder and will surely not be short of offers this summer as he looks to rebuild his career elsewhere.
The 26-year-old has so far been linked with the likes of Crystal Palace, West Ham, Everton and Wolves as well as Juventus, AC Milan and Sampdoria of Italy.
Winterburn believes that he will be staying put in England and said:
“It looks like he’s had a conversation with the manager that has basically come down to ‘I can’t guarantee you a first-team start every week’.
“When you hear that as a player then sometimes the red light comes on. He’s ready to say ‘right I need to move away to re-establish myself and get my career moving forward again’.
“He wants competition for places and he’s also saying at the moment ‘maybe with your medical history, I can’t fully guarantee any player is going to play on a regularly basis until I’ve come right in and assessed the squad’ – probably apart from the players he brings in and wants to cement the squad with’.
“Abroad was never an option for me. I just loved to play in the Premier League. But what you have to look at when you talk about playing abroad is a different lifestyle, different type of football, and adapting to that different style of football and being happy at a football club you need to know that your family members are on board with you.
“I think that is the big key decision for moving abroad. If the family are not comfortable with that then I would say Jack will look at the options in the Premier League first.
“I think personally there will be plenty and I expect to see him playing in the Premier League again this season.”
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