The most eagerly anticipated Reserves game for over 5 years finally arrived this evening as Portsmouth made the journey North to Underhill in an encounter which was more about the playing staff rather than the result.

The fixture saw fans favourite Eduardo return to competitive action after 10 months out with a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle - sustained on Premiership duty against Birmingham City last February.

The damp, cold, miserable, foggy conditions meant that despite the fact a giant crowd was expected, only a couple of thousand made the trip to welcome back the 25-year-old.

Eduardo’s every touch was greeted with loud cheers, as he settled in to the evenings task.

A sneaky header at the back stick from Eduardo was probably the closest either side had come, a fitting example of the Croatian’s intelligence. Eduardo came close again in the match, forcing a save from the Portsmouth keeper, with a left foot strike.

The Eduardo da Silva show was brought to an end at the break as the star showed promising signs of returning to full match fitness, so watch out for the Croatian star as his road to recovery leads him back to the Emirates Stadium…

Text and image courtesy of YoungGuns

Eduardo da Silva will be back in an Arsenal shirt imminently, according to the Gunners’ manager Arsene Wenger.

The Brazil-born striker has not featured in a fixture for the past 10 months after suffering a horrific leg-break during a Premier League game at Birmingham City.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, there were fears that the Croatia international would never play again as his left fibula was fractured and his left ankle left dislocated.

Eduardo was ruled out of Euro 2008 but set about a painstaking recovery that has now led him back to full fitness.

Rehabilitation with his club combined with time spent at home in his native Brazil have left the forward on the cusp of a return to action, and he is lacking only match practice according to his manager.

The Gunners will be pleased with the boost that Eduardo will bring, as they currently sit eight points from the summit of the table.

Despite victories over Manchester United and Chelsea, Arsenal have been hampered by inconsistency and Eduardo’s firepower will provide a timely boost for their Premier League challenge.

Wenger is quoted as saying on BBC Sport: “He is joining in full training matches but he needs games now.”

Source - Goal.com

Arsene Wenger has declared himself pleased with the speed Tomas Rosicky and Eduardo are recovering from injury.

Rosicky has been out with a thigh problem since January, while Eduardo is rehabilitating after a horrible incident at Birmingham in February.

The fractured leg and ankle dislocation he suffered at St Andrew’s left many wondering if he would ever play again.

Arsenal manager Wenger believes Rosicky could play as early as September, with Eduardo returning two months later.

Both players were at the Emirates Stadium for a fans’ day and Wenger said he was happy with their progress.

“The situation is positive for both players,” said the Frenchman.

“It was good for them to be back in this kind of atmosphere. The players enjoy a day like that.”

Source - BBC Sport

Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva is hopeful he can return to action before the end of the year.

The Croatian is continuing his recovery from the horrific broken leg he sustained in a horror tackle with Birmingham defender Martin Taylor in February.

Eduardo has returned to England to continue his rehab after four months in Brazil and the player is happy with how his recovery is going.

“It is good [his recovery] because I was in Brazil for rehabilitation for four months, I worked hard every day doing two sessions for six or seven hours every day,” Eduardo told Sky Sports News.

“I think for me it was very hard, but now I forget everything that happened.

“I came here to finish my rehabilitation.

“It was very difficult, very hard for me as Arsenal were playing very well [at the time of the injury], scoring a lot of goals and doing good in the table.

“For me it was very hard as I like playing and this injury means five, six, seven, eight months not playing and that is very hard for any player.”

Eduardo is set to be assessed by Arsenal’s club doctor on Monday and the striker is hoping he can make his long-awaited return to action by Christmas.

“He is going to check my leg tomorrow, but about playing I don’t know. Before Christmas, maybe,” concluded Eduardo.

Source - SkySports

Eduardo Da Silva will be returning to England to watch his Arsenal team-mates play at the Emirates cup on the 2nd of August 2008.

For the last few months Eduardo Da Silva has been undertaking his rehabilitation in Brazil, his place of birth.

Although it is not certain when Eduardo will once again be fully fit, as some reports had earlier suggested that Eduardo would return to match fitness come August, but in the last week or so news has emerged of a possible 2 month delay.

Upon returning to England, Eduardo will be assessed by the Arsenal medical team, after which he will begin his final stage of rehabilitation. More news will be available then.

If things go as planned, Eduardo will once again be gracing us in the Number 9 jersey.

Eduardo could be ruled out of the first two months of Arsenal’s season after reportedly encountering a problem in his recovery and rehabilitation from the career-threatening leg injury he sustained at Birmingham in February.

The Brazil-born striker had been making good progress from the traumatic double break, and had even hoped to be able to take part in Arsenal’s pre-season programme.

However, reports now claim that the 25-year-old will not be ready to return to full training until October.

Arsenal have not moved to sign a new striker since Eduardo’s injury, and with Emmanuel Adebayor’s future still uncertain, they could be short of fire-power up front early on.

Eduardo had targeted playing again in August, so manager Arsene Wenger‘s talks with Adebayor about a new pay deal this week may have taken on new significance.

If the Togo striker does leave, Wenger would have Robin Van Persie, Theo Walcott, Nicklas Bendtner and Carlos Vela to choose from. However, neither Walcott nor Van Persie is an out-and-out centre-forward, while Vela has yet to make his Arsenal first-team debut.

Source - Goal.com

Eduardo da Silva could make a miraculous return to training as early as the pre-season after making excellent progress in his recovery from a career-threatening injury.

Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva could make a miraculous return to training as early as the pre-season after making excellent progress in his recovery from a career-threatening injury.

The 25-year-old suffered a double fracture in his left fibula and a dislocated ankle following a challenge from Birmingham captain Martin Taylor in February.

Arsenal physiotherapist Gary Lewin said:

Hopefully, he will be back doing training during pre-season.

We’re setting no timescales. We don’t want to put him under any pressure.

Lewin, who is to leave the Gunners to take up a role as head of physiotherapy with the England senior team next month, added: “We are confident Eduardo will make a full recovery.

Source - Soccer365

Arsenal’s striker, Eduardo da Silva, will removed his plaster after five weeks. His injury at the moment seems to be quickly recovering.

The Croatian and Arsenal’s football player, Eduardo da Silva, removed his plaster five weeks after the operation. The first information say that the injury is quickly recoverion and in two weeks he should fly to Rio de Janeiro and start rehabilitation.

There was a small risk that the wound would get infected, but fortunately it did not happened and Dudu, in a good mood, should continue his rehab in Brazil in a centre with Brazilian star Ronaldo. There he should get ready to start with his career again in November this year.

Dudu expressed the wish to play for the Croatian national team during the European Championship in Austria and Switzerland, but the question is whether Arsenal’s trainer, Arsene Wenger, will allow him or not. Croatian coach Slavne Bilic more than once stated that the whole team wished to fight for the Euro along with Eduardo, who was one of the key players that made Croatia reach the championship’s final.

Source - Javno Sports

Stricken Arsenal striker Eduardo last night blasted claims that Birmingham defender Martin Taylor visited him in hospital.

A newspaper last week claimed Taylor had personally made his peace with the Croatia international after committing the horrific tackle that left him with a double fracture of the leg and a dislocated ankle during Arsenal’s trip to St Andrew’s two weeks ago.

The report also carried quotes attributed to Eduardo. But the striker told Croatian TV:

“The story about Taylor visiting me was an invention - as was my ‘interview’ in the English press.”

The Eduardo-Taylor incident is becoming a major embarrassment for both clubs.

Arsenal have been admant about giving their injured striker space and time to recover.

Birmingham have stood by Taylor who has won widespread support as a player who would not have intentionally injured an opponent.

However, FIFA president Sepp Blatter revisited the row on his visit to Scotland this weekend with a personal attack on Taylor. Blatter has claimed players who seriously injure opponents should face life bans.

Source - The Sunday Mirror

Arsenal striker Eduardo da Silva has expressed his gratitude to physio Gary Lewin for saving his foot.

Eduardo suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle after Birmingham defender Martin Taylor caught the Croatian forward with a mistimed challenge in the 2-2 draw with the Blues at St Andrews last weekend.

Taylor was shown a straight red card for the foul and has been heavily criticised for the challenge which has left Eduardo facing nine months on the sidelines.

Eduardo, though, admits his injury could have been far worse and the 25-year-old has thanked Gunners physio Lewin for his swift action.

Grateful

“The injury was so grave I could have lost my foot,” he told the News of the World.

“So I will always be grateful to Gary for what he did in lowering the risk to my leg. That was decisive. I do not remember too much about the blow.

“I remember the pain, seeing that my foot had rotated, but I only recaptured my senses in hospital.”

Eduardo, though, accepts Taylor’s challenge did not contain any intent after the Birmingham player visited him in hospital.

Excuses

“I had to look at him (Taylor),” Eduardo continued. “I could not understand how anyone could make a tackle like that in only the third minute of a game.

“But in the end I believed that Taylor was sincere and I accepted his excuses.

“Even though he had destroyed my season it would be incredible to think that what he did was pre-meditated.”

And Eduardo insists he will never watch a replay of the challenge because he wishes to put the incident behind him.

“I’m not interested,” Eduardo added. “I’ve made this decision along with my wife. I want to try and forget what happened.”

Source - SkySports