LONDON -- Arsene Wenger brushed off Jack Wilshere's latest off-field incident as having been blown out of proportion, and said the Arsenal midfielder will make his injury comeback with the club's under-21s on Friday.
Wenger revealed that both Wilshere and Tomas Rosicky will play in the U21 game against Newcastle, which will be the England international's first appearance of the season after a long-term ankle injury. It comes after a turbulent week as he was filmed being interviewed by police outside a nightclub early on Sunday morning following an alleged fracas.
The Arsenal boss said he has talked to Wilshere about the incident, but that it will remain a private matter and insisted he wasn't concerned about the player's behaviour.
"I have spoken to him. It looks to have been taken out of proportion a little bit," Wenger told a news conference on Thursday. "There was no training session the next day, he had an off day. You can accept that sometimes the players go out when they are free the next day over the weekend. What is positive is that he works very, very hard. The [fitness] news looks quite good, I think he will have a good test tomorrow night."
Wilshere has landed himself in trouble with Wenger before because of his life off the pitch, and the Frenchman has criticized him for being caught smoking in the past. But Wenger refused to go into more detail this time.
"This is a completely private matter for me. It's difficult for me to speak about [the incident] because I don't know really what happened," he said. "You know as well that he can be provoked. It's not easy when you're well known today to go out anywhere without creating some provocations. I'm a bit cautious, and I think that even if you're known you have the right sometimes to go out."
Wilshere has been sidelined since he fractured his ankle in August, but is hoping to return in time to earn a spot in Roy Hodgson's England squad for the European Championship.
Rosicky is also hoping to be fit to captain the Czech Republic at Euro 2016. He made his first appearance of the season in January, only to be injured again immediately after sustaining a thigh problem.
However, Arsenal only have seven games left to play, and Wenger said Wilshere may need more than one game with the U21s before making his Premier League return.
"We have to see now. I am a bit cautious because of his history, so let's not rush it too much," he added. "Let's see how he responds to the next game. He will have a big part in the game tomorrow night, and hopefully he will come through well."
Wenger also dismissed the idea that the midfielder doesn't have the right mindset and insisted that Wilshere's lifestyle will not get in the way of his development as a player.
"He has a real football brain, Jack Wilshere. He loves football. He's very serious, very dedicated. I invite you to come in every day to watch him work. You will understand that he is very dedicated," Wenger said.
"The only thing that can stop him from having the career he can make is injuries. His history of injuries has been bad recently, but I hope he can get rid of that. And then he can have the career he deserves."