Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger feels the next 10 games will show whether Jack Wilshere can last the distance for club and country this season.
Wilshere, 20, spent more than a year on the sidelines because of niggling fitness problems which stem back to an ankle injury initially suffered when winning his fifth England cap against Switzerland at Wembley in June 2011.
"Jack is not completely through yet the big test of durability, but the fact is that he has come out in a positive way from the three first games, which were quite intense," said Wenger, who was at Great Ormond Street Hospital on Thursday afternoon along with Wilshere to help open the Arsenal Lung Function Unit.
"The first response is positive. Let's touch wood and hope he gets through well. The next 10 games, of course, will tell you a lot more about that."
England boss Roy Hodgson has wasted no time in bringing Wilshere back into the senior squad, selecting him for next week's friendly in Sweden, despite the combative midfielder only just having returned from his long injury lay-off.
Of Wilshere's England recall, Wenger said he "saw it coming".
He said: "I have no choice. If they call him up, they call him up. I have good relations with Roy Hodgson. We spoke about the situation, he knows my feeling and I know his feeling, so we cut a good compromise."
Wenger, however, accepts no-one will be able to restrain Wilshere's enthusiasm.
"That's very difficult with Jack. He doesn't hold back. He doesn't know how to do that. I think if he plays him [in Sweden], he will play," said the Arsenal manager.
Midfielder Abou Diaby remains sidelined by a thigh problem, and Wenger revealed the France international was around a month away from a comeback, having been out since the end of September.
Source: PA
