Agony: Van Persie picked up his injury playing for the Netherlands against Italy last November Robin van Persie is ready to return for Arsenal's glory chase after revealing he has already been training with a ball for several weeks.
The forward looked like he would struggle to play again this season after injuring ankle ligaments when playing for Holland in November, but he will return to north London this week dreaming of being fit for the World Cup finals.
Van Persie may still be four weeks away from first-team action, but he hopes the Gunners will still be chasing the Premier League and Champions League titles by the time he returns.
'I am medically fit, but physically I have to gain,' he said. 'Only then can I train with the full group.
'I'm not there yet but I've left a difficult period behind. For a few weeks I've been training with the ball and it looks good.
'I still hope I can take part in the final phase of the League and hopefully the Champions League. This has been my goal from the beginning.
'My first goal is to play for Arsenal. When I said that a few months ago, I looked crazy. But as it stands now, that will happen. Only then can I think about the World Cup.'
Van Persie has been recuperating in Holland after undergoing an operation he was desperately trying to avoid four months ago.
Initial assessments suggested he could be back in action before Christmas after being on the wrong end of a lunging tackle by Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini, but the damage turned out to be much worse and could not even be helped by Belgrade placenta doctor Marijana Kovacevic.
Arsenal fitness coach Tony Colbert recently checked on the 26-year-old in Holland, reporting back that the former Feyenoord star looked sharp and ready to return to England.
Ready to return: Van Persie battles past Jermaine Jenas during Arsenal's win over Spurs earlier this seasonIf there are no set-backs Arsene Wenger expects to be able to call on Van Persie for the last four Premier League games of the season - against Wigan and Blackburn away, plus Manchester City and Fulham at the Emirates.
He would also be fit for a potential Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan, should the Gunners overcome Barcelona and the Italians see off CSKA Moscow.
It would be a timely return for a player who had scored eight and provided seven assists in 16 matches for Arsenal before his injury.
Emmanuel Adebayor's departure to Manchester City last summer opened the door for Van Persie to be reinvented as a centre forward, which has seen him usurp Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the same position for Holland.
Bert van Marwijk's 4-2-3-1 formation is one that suits him. 'The system seems to be good for me,' said Van Persie. 'The central position is best suited to me.'
He is relishing the prospect of playing up top at the World Cup, with a triumvirate of in-form playmakers playing behind: Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart.
And if reports on the Continent are to be believed, he may be seeing more of Bayern Munich star Robben.
The German side are said to be keen on bringing in Van Persie if they lose Franck Ribery this summer, which looks increasingly likely given the France winger's reluctance to open talks on a contract extension.
source: dailymail
