Wenger: Eduardo returns to training next week

Eduardo will take a significant step towards his long-awaited first-team comeback next week.

The Croatian striker has not played since breaking his leg and dislocating his ankle during a Premier League game at Birmingham City on February 23. Now, after surgery and a long rehabilitation, Eduardo is on the brink of rejoining his team-mates on the training pitch.

"Eduardo is doing very well and is one week away from joining in training,” confirmed Arsène Wenger at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

The Arsenal manager discusses Eduardo's timetable for a first-team return in his exclusive interview with Arsenal TV Online. Subscribers can watch this from Friday morning.

Hope that Eduardo comes back so that Arsen and sell of Bendtner

Eduardo is set to return to competitive football for Arsenal Reserves on December 16.

The Croatian striker has been sidelined since breaking his leg at Birmingham on February 23. It has been a long, hard journey but the 25-year-old has made good progress and his comeback is close.

“I believe we might see him for the first time in the Reserves on December 16 against Portsmouth,” said Arsène Wenger ahead of the game against Wigan. “After that we will just go from there but he looks very good and very sharp in training.”

CmT wrote:Hope that Eduardo comes back so that Arsen and sell of Bendtner

i agree

The Gunners' Crozilian poacher made his long-awaited comeback in the reserves on Tuesday only to suffer yet another injury setback...

It was feared that Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva might never play again after he had his leg horrifically mangled in a Premier League clash with Birmingham City in February.

The Brazilian-born player sustained a compound fracture of his left fibula - and a dislocated ankle, to boot - when he found himself on the wrong end of a messy Martin Taylor challenge at St Andrew's.

10 months later, after a rigorous rehabilitation process, the 25-year-old stepped back onto the pitch as the Gunners' reserves claimed a 2-0 victory over Portsmouth at Underhill.

The Croatian international lasted only 45 minutes, however, and he has revealed that he was taken off after feeling an unwelcome twinge at the back of his thigh.

"At the moment I am better and I feel very happy," Eduardo said in the Daily Mail. "I came off at half-time because I felt something in my hamstring but I think I will be all right in two weeks.

"The situation with my injury was very hard for me but I have to forget everything bad in my life."

Eduardo was back in action for Arsenal last night, lining up for the reserves 298 days after his horror leg-break, only to suffer a hamstring strain that will further delay his first-team return.

The striker said: ‘At the moment I am better and I feel very happy. I came off at half-time because I felt something in my hamstring but I think I will be all right in two weeks.

'The situation with my injury was very hard for me but I have to forget everything bad in my life.’

The Croatia striker had been out for 10 months after the challenge by Birmingham’s Martin Taylor left him with a dislocated left ankle and broken fibula.

More than 1,000 fans - among them Dennis Bergkamp - watched the Brazilian-born striker in the 2-0 win over Portsmouth’s reserves at Barnet.

The 25-year-old appealed in vain for an early penalty then had two chances, heading over from a corner and forcing Pompey keeper Asmir Begovic to save his right-foot shot.

Although replaced after the break as a precaution, Eduardo appeared to have come through the run-out unscathed.

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