Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson has urged Jack Wilshere to leave the Premier League for a foreign club.

Wilshere, 25, has not started a single league game for the Gunners this season, and is close to entering the final six months of his contract at the Emirates Stadium.

The midfielder, who is valued at £13.5m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has made eight first-team appearances during the 2017-18 campaign.

However, just two of those were in the league, and he was overlooked for Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.

A number of Premier League clubs are believed to be monitoring Wilshere, but Merson has called on the midfielder to leave English football in a bid to reignite his international career.

Merson told Sky Sports:

“It is alright Arsene Wenger saying a fit Jack Wilshere gets in the England team, but you have to play for Arsenal.

“The way he plays, I think going abroad probably suits him and his game, otherwise he is going to go to a relegation-battling team, and that is not his game.

“He needs to get on the ball and play football and be in a team that really are going to have a lot more of the ball than not. So probably abroad to an AC Milan or somewhere like that.”

Wilshere, who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth, had been tipped to leave Arsenal in the summer, but decided to stay and fight for his place.

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He was a second-half substitute in Arsenal’s 3-1 loss at Manchester City before the international break.