Arsenal and England midfielder will be out for up to four months after having surgery on his injured ankle.
The player ,who has been plagued with injuries over the past five years, was hurt in a tackle with Paddy McNair during the Gunners’ defeat by Manchester United last weekend.
Arsene Wenger said on Wednesday that Wilshere would be undergoing scans on Thursday, but Sportsmail understands that an operation was always a formality.
Arsenal said the surgery had been successful, but confirmed that it would keep the England star out well into the new year.
After the operation Wilshere went on Instagram to reassure fans that the surgery had gone well.
‘Ankle needed surgery in the end,’ he wrote. Went well thanks to the main man James Calder!’
‘Work hard for what you want because it won’t come to you without a fight. You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to.
‘If somebody puts you down or criticizes you, just keep on believing in yourself and turn it into something positive.’
Wilshere has been hampered by injuries since breaking into the Arsenal first team in 2009, with his ankles the worst effected.
He missed the entirety of the 2012-13 season with an injury to his right ankle, which kept him out for well over a year.
In total, since making his Premier League debut, he has played just 95 league games, and by the time he returns form this latest set-back he will have missed 119 weeks through injury.