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Jack Wilshere is expected to be out for up to five weeks as his injury bug bites again.

The luckless West Ham midfielder - who has endured a nightmare start to life at the London Stadium - is struggling with the latest in a long line of ankle problems that the club believed would only need a few weeks’ rest.

Wilshere has instead been ruled out for the entire festive period, with the Hammers worried he could need yet another operation.

The club already have midfielder Manuel Lanzini out with a severe knee injury suffered on international duty ahead of the World Cup finals. Despite suggestions he could be back in February, the Argentinean playmaker could miss the rest of the season.

(Image: Action Images via Reuters)

Others on the treatment table include £22million winger Andriy Yarmalenko, out six months with an Achilles rupture in October, and Colombia World Cup midfielder Carlos Sanchez, who hasn't played since September.

Earlier this season, Wilshere was ruled out by a screw that came loose in his surgically-repaired ankle.

The current problem sidelined him for the 3-1 win over Cardiff earlier this month.

At the time, boss Manuel Pellegrini insisted he’d been rested as a precaution, having only returned three days earlier with a five-minute runout in the 3-0 away victory against Newcastle.

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Wilshere’s current setback means he will have made just five appearances for West Ham since signing joining from Arsenal on a big-money free transfer in the summer.

It will hurt Pellegrini most as he pushed for the 26-year-old England international to be given a three-year deal.

The Hammers board insisted on a one-year contract because of Wilshere's injury record, only to give in to their new manager’s demands.