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Wilshere close to making England come-back

Cape Town - Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere will be happy to hear what England manager Gareth Southgate has said of him, with the World Cup just around the corner.

The 26-year-old has 34 England caps to his name but hasn’t featured for the Three Lions since Euro 2016, and had to make his way back from injury via a loan spell at Bournemouth last season.

But having started for the Gunners in their last nine Premier League matches, Wilshere has put his name in the hat for selection ahead of the World Cup in Russia that kicks off in June.

"It's a real plus to see him playing the way that he is and playing regularly," Southgate said.

"He had a really bad injury that he had to come over at Bournemouth last year it's no surprise that it took some time. But he looks sharp, he looks fit.

"He's playing regular midweek games as well. And that's great because we want our best players to be available and in good form."

Southgate was speaking at the draw for the inaugural UEFA Nations League, in which England were placed in League A, the top tier of the competitions, and drawn into Group 4 where they will face Spain and Croatia when the competitions kicks off in September.

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