Wenger: Eduardo Not Ready For FA Cup Return

*

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed that Croatian International striker Eduardo is not ready to return to action for the Gunners in their FA Cup third round clash with Championship side Plymouth Argyle on Saturday.

25-year-old Eduardo made his comeback after breaking his leg in February for the Premier League club in a reserve match against Portsmouth last month. The Brazilian-born forward played 45 minutes of the clash before being taken off at halftime as a precaution with a slight hamstring problem.

However, Wenger has insisted that Eduardo will be back playing for Arsenal by the end of January and that the former Dinamo Zagreb player is keen for a return to action at the Emirates Stadium as soon as the striker regains full fitness.

Wenger said: “Eduardo will not come back yet. It is still a bit early because he has to get his fitness back.

“He is fantastically keen and a dream to work with but when you have been out for nine months it takes some time to come back to your best form.”

It is thought that Wenger will utilise his squad against Plymouth on Saturday, with the Frenchman likely to play his fringe players against a side that is 15th in the Championship.

Arsenal Striker Suffers Injury Setback

*

Croatian International Eduardo, who made his comeback for Arsenal in a reserve game against Portsmouth on Tuesday, will have to wait a little longer on the sidelines at the Emirates Stadium. After being taken off at half-time in the clash against Pompey with a hamstring strain.

25-year-old Eduardo finally made his return in a Gunners shirt after nearly 300 days out following the horror tackle by Birmingham City player Martin Taylor, which left the Brazilian-born striker with a dislocated ankle and a broken fibula.

Now after a lengthy spell out Eduardo is set for more treatment after being taken off in his comeback as a precaution. However, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will be pleased that the hamstring strain is not too serious, with Eduardo revealing that he only expects the injury to delay his comeback by a further two weeks.

Eduardo 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.”

Arsenal To Swoop For Brazilian International?

*

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is considering a January bid for Brazilian International striker Alexandre Pato at Serie A giants AC Milan, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

Wenger is eager to get the Gunners faltering Premier League challenge back on track and is understood to have funds available in January to bring fresh faces to the Emirates Stadium after a meeting with new Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis on Friday.



19-year-old Pato is believed to be on the list of potential targets for the boss of the North London club, with Emmanuel Adebayor struggling with injuries this term and Nicklas Bendtner failing to impress in the Premiership this season. Although Wenger expects Croatian International Eduardo to return to first team action in the near future, Wenger is keen to add another forward to bolster the frontline at the Emirates.

Pato has been at the San Siro since signing from Brazilian side Internacional in 2007 and had been linked with Arsenal before joining the Rossoneri. Pato has scored 13 goals in 37 appearances for Milan during his time at the Italian club, but it remains to be seen if Milan, are willing to let him leave Italy for England in January or whether Wenger will have to wait until the summer to land the Brazilian starlet.

Gianfranco Zola: Modric Was The Key Man For Spurs

*

West Ham United manager Gianfranco Zola has identified Croatian International playmaker Luka Modric as the key player in the Tottenham Hotspur side that beat the Hammers 2-0 at Upton Park on Monday night.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp stated that he intended to build the Tottenham side around 23-year-old Modric, when he arrived at White Hart Lane from Portsmouth to take charge at the Premier League club. With Redknapp choosing to deploy the £16.5million summer signing in a role behind a lone striker, which worked to good effect as Spurs enjoyed a good run upon Redknapp’s arrival.

Tottenham have struggled slightly of late, with it no surprise that this blip coincided with Modric being out injured for Spurs recently. However, the former Dinamo Zagreb player returned to the starting line-up for Tottenham last night, with Zola believing that the Croatian schemer was a major factor in Spurs collecting all three points in the Premiership clash.

Second half goals from Tottenham captain Ledley King and Jamie O’Hara, who came on as a second half substitute secured the win, but Zola believes that had West Ham gone ahead the outcome might have been different.

Zola said: “They started to play in the second half.

“Modric found his position behind the striker and that caused us problems.

“It was important for us to score first. We knew there were going to be chances in the game and if we'd have got in front it would have been a big help.

“Unfortunately for us it was a disappointing game.

“It's not an easy situation for us to be in, we all know that and we have to work hard to change it. We won't panic and we'll keep going.”

Injury Blow For Spurs Boss Redknapp As Modric Ruled Out For Two Weeks

• 
  

Tottenham Hotspur’s Croatian International Luka Modric has suffered a groin injury and will be missing from Harry Redknapp’s Spurs side for at least two-weeks.

23-year-old Modric, who was a £16.5million summer signing from Dinamo Zagreb was injured in the Premier League defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday, where the Croatian playmaker was taken off at half-time.

Modric will now miss the Premiership matches at White Hart Lane against Blackburn Rovers and Everton as well as an away tie in the UEFA Cup against NEC Nijmegen. This will come as a blow to former Portsmouth boss Redknapp, who has pledged to build the team around Modric and will now have to do without the midfielder for this crucial series of games in the North London clubs season.

A statement on the club's official website read: “An MRI scan has revealed that Luka Modric has suffered a partially torn groin muscle. He was forced off with the injury at half-time in Saturday's match with Fulham and is expected to be sidelined for up to two weeks.”

Arsenal's Eduardo Set For Return Against Portsmouth

Croatian International striker Eduardo is set for a return to action for Arsenal next month, with a reserve game against Portsmouth on December 16th the likely date for the Brazilian-born forward’s comeback.

25-year-old Eduardo suffered a horrific career threatening injury in the Premier League clash with Birmingham City in February after a late challenge by Martin Taylor fractured the striker’s leg and dislocated his ankle.

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger had hoped that Eduardo could feature for the North London club in a reserve match with rivals Tottenham Hotspur two weeks earlier, but that fixture has been rearranged due to Arsenal’s Carling Cup quarter-final with Burnley being played on December 2nd.

Eduardo has just made his breakthrough at the Emirates Stadium last season in the Premier League when the injury happened and will be keen to resume his career in the Premiership after already having to spend 9 months on the sidelines at the Gunners.

Modric: I Want To Be Loved At Spurs Like Hoddle & Gazza

• 
  

Tottenham Hotspur summer signing Luka Modric has revealed that he intends to be loved by the fans at White Hart Lane in the same way that previous Spurs legends like Glenn Hoddle and Paul Gascoigne were by putting in the performances to show that he is “worthy” of all the expectation following his £16.5million summer transfer from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer.

New Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has already revealed that he intends to build a team around the Croatian playmaker, with the former Portsmouth manager deciding to deploy Modric just behind either Darren Bent or Roman Pavlyuchenko in his first three matches in charge at the North London club.

Modric, who looked a shadow of the player on show at EURO 2008 when he arrived at Tottenham has flourished in his new found freedom under Redknapp, with Spurs unbeaten under Redknapp after wins over Liverpool and Bolton Wanderers and the 4-4 North London derby thriller with Arsenal at the Emirates.

The 23-year-old Croatian International has admitted to feeling a little pressure from recent compliments, but hopes that his performances for Spurs can one day earn him the status at White Hart Lane of previous Tottenham greats.

“I will try to play my best game so that in a couple of months or a year, the fans can love me like the other players [such as Hoddle & Gascoigne],” said Modric.

“I feel some pressure from all these compliments. But I feel self-confident and have to show on the pitch I’m worthy of all the expectations.”

Redknapp: I Have To Build Tottenham Around Modric

• 
  

New Tottenham Hotspur manger Harry Redknapp has revealed that he is to build the Spurs team around Croatian International Luka Modric (below) ahead of the crunch UEFA Cup clash against the former playmakers club Dinamo Zagreb on Thursday.

The former Portsmouth boss also hailed the quality of Croatian players, having worked closely with Niko Kranjcar at Fratton Park and bringing former International and now Croatian coach Slaven Bilic along with Igor Stimac to the Premier League, while in charge of West Ham United.

Redknapp is delighted to have Croatian’s Modric and defender Vedran Corluka, also a former Zagreb player in his squad at White Hart Lane. However, Corluka will miss the clash against his former club, as he is cup-tied. Modric is set for a key role against the side he left in the summer, but with Roman Pavlyuchenko also cup-tied Redknapp has revealed that there will be changes for the European game.

“I saw Nico [Kranjcar of Portsmouth] last week," he told Sportskenovosti.

“He's back playing which is good as he's now over his injury.

“He's a great boy, a really good person and a fantastic footballer. Modric is also a fantastic footballer and I have to build a team around him to play with him.

“We have to get him the ball as he's an amazing player. He's a special footballer and has got amazing ability like a lot of Croatian players.

“They have produced so many great players over the years. I love Croatians, every boy from Croatia I have had has just been special. I can honestly say that.

“Slaven [Bilic] was fantastic, Igor [Stimac] too at West Ham was fantastic player. Robert Prosinecki was a genius.

“We have to win at home and make sure we win. If we win this game, one more win will get us through then we can think about the league again.

“It's important we keep picking up good results and keep winning for the confidence.

“We don't want to get beaten on Thursday. I'll change the team and give players a chance who haven't played.”