Wilshere not for sale – Wenger

With Jack Wilshere preparing to make his Arsenal return, manager Arsene Wenger has quashed rumours over a potential bid for the midfielder from Manchester City.

Wilshere has not played for Arsenal since injuring his ankle against Manchester United in November, but could be back for Saturday’s trip to Burnley along with Mathieu Debuchy, Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta.

A run of seven Premier League wins in a row has seen Arsenal move within seven points of leaders Chelsea having played a game more, with Wenger eager to focus on the run-in rather than speculation over the likes of Wilshere.

Gael Clichy, Samir Nasri and Emmanuel Adebayor have all been prised away from the Emirates Stadium by City in recent seasons, but the Arsenal boss maintains the landscape has now shifted.

Pressed on the potential sale of Wilshere to the champions, Wenger said: “You can imagine my answer. We are not in a position anymore where we have to sell our best players.

“Everybody can have a really big impact over the rest of the season.

“Chelsea have a difficult schedule but so do we. All we can do is master our schedule.

“What we want is to go as high as we can until the end of the season. Give our best.

“We are in an important moment of the Premier League season. It’s a period you show your quality by focusing on the next game.”