Jack Wilshere could be getting nearer to returning to Arsenal’s first team after it was revealed that he will appear in a friendly against Chelsea tomorrow night.

Arsène Wenger has organised the under-21 match to take place at Arsenal’s Hertfordshire training ground, with signs growing that Wilshere could soon come back to playing in the first team.

The 20 year-old injured star is set to play tomorrow for 75 minutes at the least, and it will be his third game for the under-21s, previously appearing against Reading and West Brom.

Wilshere was seen training on Monday, and it has been reported that Wenger has arranged the game with a view to playing him in a match against the Everton under-21s on Monday. It is also thought that Wenger may be considering returning him to the first team for Arsenal’s match against Reading in the Capital One cup in a fortnight, and he might even be considering placing him on the Arsenal bench for next week’s Champions League match against German side Schalke.

Wilshere has been out with injury for almost 16 months after sustaining a stress fracture ankle injury playing New York Red Bulls in a friendly before the 2011/12 season. He returned to training with the first team in September.

Wilshere’s progress is a huge boost to the club, with Wilshere being a vitally important player to the team. Wilshere came to the first team through the club’s youth academy, and has been majorly impressive for the team. In the 2010/11 season, he won the award for PFA Young Player of the Year, as well as being named the club’s Player of the Season.