Jack Wilshere faces an "interesting" decision in the summer over where to further his career, says Eddie Howe.

The 25-year-old swapped north London for the south coast in August, joining Bournemouth for the remainder of the campaign as he looked to make the most of first-team opportunities.

Recently, though, Wilshere has not been able to force his way back into the side on a regular basis following recovery from an ankle injury and had to make do with a place on the bench for the last three matches before the international break.

Wilshere was not called up by new England boss Gareth Southgate and there has been speculation the combative midfielder might look to move abroad for the next stage of his development, with Italian club AC Milan one possible destination.

Howe has yet to rule out looking to make Wilshere's transfer permanent and will keep a close eye on developments.

"Jack will be the one who decides his future, in conjunction with Arsenal," Howe said.

"It was very clear at the start of this loan he was going to make his decision in terms of the next steps for him in the summer.

"He just wanted to concentrate on his football with us, to try to just have the best season that he can.

"Jack has certainly had a good season with us as far as I am concerned, and it will be interesting to see what happens beyond that point."

Howe hinted he could bring Wilshere back into the team for Saturday's late-kick off at south-coast rivals Southampton.

Arsenal have yet to hold talks with Wilshere over a new contract (Getty)

"He is certainly in the mix, a player of his quality," Howe said at his weekly press conference.

"Jack picked up an ankle injury against Manchester City and in the following games we have picked up some good results, so it has been difficult to change a winning team when it is performing so well.

"We know his qualities and he is ready to go if he is selected on Saturday."