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West Ham United midfielder Jack Wilshere is reportedly set to miss the remainder of the current season after suffering a setback in his recovery from an ankle injury during training.

The 27-year-old's career has been littered with injuries, including this ankle injury which has derailed his first season with the Hammers. He has seen just five minutes of game time since early September, when he underwent surgery to help rectify the problem, but his return to the starting lineup now appears to have been pushed back.

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News of Wilshere's setback comes from The Sun, who claim that there were complications with his surgery which has left Wilshere struggling for fitness.

He is said to have been running at West Ham's training ground as part of his recovery, but Wilshere's ankle pain has continued and, whilst the exact diagnosis of his injury remains unclear, he is seeing a specialist who is expected to confirm that the midfielder cannot play again this season.

The problems have restricted Wilshere to just five appearances for the Hammers since leaving Arsenal last summer. He featured in the team's first four matches of the season, before missing West Ham's next nine Premier League matches as a result of the ankle injury.

The Englishman was eventually deemed fit enough to make a brief five-minute appearance against Newcastle United in December, but found himself struggling to shake the injury and has not been seen since.

The news will certainly come as a huge blow for Wilshere, who has consistently struggled with various injuries throughout his career. A similar ankle injury sidelined Wilshere for the majority of both the 2011/12 and 2014/15 seasons with Arsenal, whilst several other problems have robbed the midfielder of large parts of his career.

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Wilshere began the season playing alongside the likes of Carlos Sanchez and Mark Noble in the heart of West Ham's midfield. However, long-term injuries to both Wilshere and Sanchez forced Manuel Pellegrini into giving 20-year-old Declan Rice an extended run in the first team, and the youngster has been one of the breakout stars of the season.

Rice's form has helped West Ham rise up the Premier League table. After an abysmal start to the season, the Hammers currently find themselves in tenth and they remain in pursuit of Europa League qualification.