Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere appears set for another extended stay in the treatment room, amid reports that he has suffered a fracture to his leg ahead of the new season.
Wilshere is nursing a hairline fracture to his fibula that, according to the Daily Mirror, could see him miss the first six to eight weeks of the upcoming campaign that kicks-off this weekend.
The 23-year-old has endured a woeful run of fortune with injuries and started just nine Premier League games last season after he picked up an injury in a game against Manchester United last November.
He only made his comeback from that injury in May and while he was able to play a bit-part role in Arsenal's end of season fixtures that included a substitute appearance in their successful FA Cup final team, Wilshere had set his sights on getting himself fully fit for the start of this season.
Wilshere has spoken about his fitness regime this summer as he looks to get himself in shape for the new campaign, as he suggested he needed to be fitter to withstand the demands of Premier League football.
"The intensity of the Premier League is incredible," he told Men's Fitness magazine last month. "The levels of fitness you have to reach just to survive in it is absurd.
"When you're out for a few months it's tough to come back. It takes a lot of work in the gym with the physios, the specialists, you're willing to try anything that will help you get fit."
While Wilshere has spent much of his summer break working on his physical conditioning, it seems that his injury jinx has struck again before a ball has been kicked in this Premier League season.
Wilshere has managed to start in just 48 Premier League matches over the last four seasons, with this latest setback adding to a long list of injuries that have afflicted the Arsenal No. 10.