Manuel Pellegrini Claims West Ham Midfielder Could Be Worth £100m Despite Difficult Start to Season

West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini believes Jack Wilshere is potentially worth around £100m, despite the midfielder's struggles with injury and form so far this season.

Wilshere recently returned to first team action following a two month injury absence and Pellegrini believes the former Arsenal star is incredibly valuable because of his creative ability.

He said, as quoted by the Sun: "Players of the quality of Wilshere can cost £100m, £90m, £70m? Good creative midfielders are just very expensive. He wanted to play at West Ham, we took the risk.

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“It has not been a good month for him but we have the second part of the season and I hope he will play most games.”

While Pellegrini admitted signing Wilshere was a risk due to his issues with recurring injuries throughout his career, the former Manchester City and Real Madrid boss insisted it was one worth taking.

He added: "We knew Jack was a risk but at Bournemouth on loan, he played around 65 per cent of the games.

“We know he is not a player who will be available for every game, every week. But he is a player of a quality that is not easy to bring to West Ham at a price we could afford.

“Jack is just 26 and has the quality to play in the national team. In football, the most important thing is the quality.”

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Wilshere appeared as a late substitute in West Ham's 3-0 win at Newcastle on Saturday and will be hoping for more minutes in their Tuesday evening clash with Cardiff.