Van Persie close to making return

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is likely to return to action within the next month,according to manager Arsene Wenger...

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie is likely to return to action within the next month,according to manager Arsene Wenger,as the English Premier League heads for the tight finish.

The 26-year-old Dutch striker has been out since suffering ankle ligament damage in an international friendly in November,but is due to return to the club this week and could play in the final four Premier League games and potentially the Champions League semi-finals if Arsenal make it past Barcelona.

He looks very sharp,but we aim at least to wait a month, Wenger was quoted as saying by Arsenals website. We sent our fitness coach out to Holland where Robin has been having his rehabilitation. I think he will be back with the club this week.

Prior to his injury while playing for the Netherlands against Italy,Van Persie had scored seven goals in 11 Premier League games for Arsenal and he remains their joint-third highest scorer in the league this season.

However,the club have maintained a title push in his absence and are two points behind leaders Manchester United with seven games remaining while they have progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals,where they face a tie with holders Barcelona. I am medically fit,but physically I have to gain,only then can I train with the full group, he told Dutch television. For a few weeks I have been training with the ball and it looks good.

Ivanovic out for a month

Meanwhile,there was more bad news for title-contenders Chelsea ahead of their clash against bottom-placed Portsmouth,with Branislav Ivanovic ruled out for a month after injuring his knee in the 1-1 draw against Blackburn.

The 26-year-old has torn his medial knee ligament and was replaced by Yuri Zhirkov during the game at Ewood Park. Ivanovics injury adds further worry to a defence that is already without Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole,who is battling to be fit before the end of the season. The Blues have eight league games left and Ivanovic is now likely to miss five of them in addition to the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa on 10 April.