Jack Wilshere ready to ‘roll up his sleeves and fight’ according to Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe

JACK WILSHERE is the big fish in a very small Bournemouth pond.

The England midfielder was overwhelmed with offers from some of the biggest clubs in Europe last week when Arsenal confirmed he could spend a year away from the Emirates on loan.

That, despite the fact it is now two years since injury-plagued Wilshere last played a full 90 minutes in the Premier League.

It is hardly surprising that some have interpreted Wilshere’s decision to play for the Premier League’s smallest club in front of 11,000 fans as taking the easy option.

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe naturally disagrees with that view of a player who has already found himself a base on the South Coast to avoid the slog of a 250-mile round trip from his North London home.

In fact Howe believes Wilshere’s determination to resurrect his game on his own terms is proof of the player’s courage and single-mindedness.

“Coming to Bournemouth is a brave decision by Jack,” Howe claims. “He is testing himself to the extreme because we won’t have an easy ride this year and he will have to roll up his sleeves and fight.

“We’re not Arsenal. We’re not going to dominate the ball in our position and it won’t all be about free-flowing, attractive football. And he’s aware of that.

“Arsenal were happy to go along with whichever club Jack chose but the key thing for him was that he wanted to stay in the Premier League.

“He made his decision based on what he knows about us and he deserves credit for that. And when he looks back in a year’s time, hopefully he will see this as a major turning point for his career.”

Wilshere has not taken part in a full training session at Bournemouth yet and Howe admitted: “We have had to manage his training time on the pitch to make sure we get the balance right between getting him fitter and making sure he does not break down.”

It is clear that Wilshere is relishing the opportunity to prove himself in the playmaker’s role.

Wilshere might have worn the number ten shirt at Arsenal but he was never going to play in that position once the club signed Mesut Ozil three years ago.

Former England boss Roy Hodgson used him as a holding midfield player but Wenger, wary of the injury risks, would never contemplate him in that position.

Howe, who shares much of Wenger’s football philosophy, says: “We will play him in a position that gets the best out of him and that’s not rocket science where Jack is concerned.

“He’s seamlessly settled into the changing room and the dynamics of the group and he’s been more than happy to commit himself to the club and to the area.

“His quality in training is clear for everyone to see and other players raise their levels to get near to his.”

Howe is convinced that once Wilshere is playing regular Premier League football again, it will only be a matter of time before he is recalled by England boss Sam Allardyce.

“We are going down a path which we’ve never trodden before and there is no denying that Jack is an A-list name,” he says.

“The club has had very successful loan deals with Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe in the past, but this a totally different situation.

“From Bournemouth’s perspective we would love to keep him, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope of a permanent signing for us.”