Van Persie is healing - but not fast enough for fans

Arsene Wenger has warned Gunners' fans that they might not see Robin van Persie in an Arsenal shirt for the rest of the season. The 26-year-old Van Persie was stretched off with an ankle injury playing for Holland against Italy last month and he has since undergone surgery to reconstruct the ankle ligaments.
 
"If you are very positive you would say he'll be back in April," Wenger explained in a statement published on the club's website. "If you're a bit cautious you would say it will be May, it is virtually the rest of the season."
 
Wenger is keeping his fingers crossed that Van Persie, who had scored eight goals for the Gunners in 15 appearances this season before the injury, might battle back before the end of the season and give everyone "a good surprise". But he’s not banking on it.
 
"When you have such a big surgery there is one thing that is important first of all, and that is the opinion of the surgeon," explained Wenger. "Will he be the player he was before? We had a clear answer. 'Yes'.
 
"The second thing that is very important in the first stage after surgery is - has he an infection or not? He hasn't.
 
"The third thing is patience. At the moment he cannot do anything, he is just sitting at home waiting until he can work again. The first two steps have been very successful."
 
While Van Persie can only hope he’ll recover in time to make a case for inclusion in Holland’s World Cup squad, Wenger is actively seeking a replacement for the wounded Dutchman. "We have an interested eye on the transfer window and if the right player turns up then we will do it," said Wenger, adding: "Of course I would prefer the player who can play in both competitions and so it would mean the player has the quality to play in the long-term for Arsenal Football Club."
 
On a more positive note for the Arsenal boss, the FA won't be pursuing charges against French midfielder Samir Nasri following the melee that erupted in last Saturday's win over Hull.
 
Having studied video footage of the incident, referee Steve Bennett declared he wouldn't have shown Nasri a red card for his tread on Richard Garcia even if he had seen it. Similarly, Hull's Nick Barmby won't have his collar felt by the FA for his aggressive reaction to Nasri's footwork.

However, the FA has yet to decide whether to issue a collective punishment for the unseemly scenes and it might be that Arsenal and Hull will be fined at a later date. ·