JACK WILSHERE will be fit for Euro 2012 — despite his six-month injury layoff.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger yesterday confirmed SunSport's exclusive story after the England star had ankle surgery that will keep him sidelined for at least 22 weeks.

The Gunners face an injury crisis ahead of tonight's Euro clash with Olympiakos as TEN players are out — seven of them first-team regulars.

Wenger said: "Yes, Wilshere will be ready for Euro 2012.

"I don't have any worries about that.

"He will spend 12 weeks in a boot and after that it is rehab. Twelve weeks brings us to around Christmas. If all goes well, you would think he will be fit again to play in half the time you are in the boot — six weeks.

"Count 10 weeks to be closer to the truth, so it's 22 weeks to be capable to play football again."

Wilshere, 19, made 54 appearances last season for club and country but Wenger insisted he had no warning from the medical staff that anything was wrong with the midfielder.

The Three Lions whizkid is yet to feature this term, although he did play in the club's pre- season tour of the Far East.

Before going under the knife,Wilshere spent six weeks wearing a special boot which did not solve the problem.

Wenger added: "We took a scan before we left on tour and it was all right.

"This crack in the bone became worse and worse.

"People say it didn't heal because there is no blood supply so it doesn't glue together. We had to put a screw in. When you see the scan it looks like a little hole in the bone. When he was in the boot it did not get better, it can be even worse.

"You can blame yourself if you think people warned you, 'Be careful, he has a problem'.

"He had no problem. If you say to a player who is 18 who has no problem 'You don't play', he doesn't understand. At the end of the season we couldn't rest him because Cesc Fabregas was always injured. Maybe we played him too much, I don't know. His injury isn't necessarily linked with that."

Striker Gervinho (hamstring) and defender Laurent Koscielny (ankle) were last night added to Arsenal's long injury list.

Alex Song will be drafted in as an emergency centre-half against the Greek champs as Thomas Vermaelen, Johan Djourou, Sebastien Squillaci are also out. Theo Walcott (knee) and Yossi Benayoun (groin) will also miss out but should be fit to face Tottenham on Sunday. Abou Diaby and Ignasi Miquel complete the grim injury list.

Following the club's worst start to a season in 58 years, Wenger insisted that a win tonight against Olympiakos was absolutely vital for morale.

He added: "Any victory will help us. But that is what is at stake for us — to show we can deliver week in, week out."

Olympiakos have lost all nine of their games on English soil, scoring once and conceding 29.

But Wenger warned: "For me, it is difficult to beat anybody. We have a lot of respect for Olympiakos. You never win easy in the Champions League.

"If we have not learned that from 14 consecutive years in the Champions League, then we are really stupid."