We´d love him to stay – Howe on Wilshere´s Bournemouth future

Eddie Howe wants Jack Wilshere to stay with Bournemouth but insists no talks have taken place over a permanent switch from Arsenal for the England international.

Persistent injury problems ruined Wilshere’s past two years at his boyhood club, where he fell down the midfield pecking order and agreed a season-long loan with Bournemouth in order to play regular first-team football.

The move has proved a success in that regard, with Wilshere making 17 Premier League starts for the Cherries since August, but the 25-year-old revealed this week he was undecided over his future.

Wilshere is out of contract at Arsenal next season, adding to a sense of limbo around the player’s future, and Howe confirmed claims made by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger that Bournemouth are yet to make an approach for a transfer to be accurate.

“We’d love Jack Wilshere to stay but there’s been no discussion with Arsenal,” Howe said ahead of Monday’s Premier League match against Manchester City.

“We are treating it as a loan for this season, as ever.”

Bournemouth have slumped to 14th in the table and are winless in five games before hosting a City side who have scored 13 times in the previous three top-flight meetings between the two.

“We’ve done well against the top teams this year and we’ll have to do that again,” Howe said.

“We’re going to need to be very good this week to get anything against Man City. We respect their players but we can’t be fearful.

“The times we’ve played Man City they’ve been excellent. We’ve aspired to play at their level and the challenge is to match them.”

Howe’s men must do so with a potentially depleted defence, as Simon Francis, Charlie Daniels (both hamstring) and Adam Smith are all injury doubts.