Eduardo must win the mind game, insists Wenger

ARSENE WENGER feels the biggest test for Eduardo will be overcoming the “psychological hurdle” as he fights towards a first-team comeback after almost a year out with a broken leg.

Eduardo featured for the reserves in Tuesday’s 2-0 win over Portsmouth, playing the opening half, Although the Croatia striker, who felt a slight twinge in his hamstring after his run-out, has targeted a return to Wenger’s squad “in two weeks”, Wenger is reluctant to put a specific time frame on his recovery.

The 25-year-old, signed from Dinamo Zagreb for £7.5m (€8m) in July 2007, spent part of his rehabilitation in his native Brazil following the tackle by Birmingham’s Martin Taylor at St Andrews in February.

Wenger believes throwing himself back into the thick of first-team action will prove the biggest test yet, though.

“For him to be back playing in the first team will not be a physical problem, it will be more a psychological hurdle to go back into the fight,” Wenger said.

“For a striker, the goal is about the fraction of a second he was ahead of the defender. Any reluctance to go into contact takes that away and then you do not score any more. That is where the question mark will be about Eduardo. He is a very brave guy, but sometimes you cannot master those kind of reflexes.

“In training now when he plays with us, everyone is very careful with him, because nobody wants to take responsibility for a bad tackle and he is injured. So it is better he goes into a game where people do not care about him and he discovers for himself he is strong enough to deal with it.”

Czech winger Tomas Rosicky is another of the Gunners’ long-term absentees, and will be slowly eased back into training following surgery. Rosicky has been out of action since January with a damaged hamstring and underwent surgery in Germany last month to speedy up his recovery.

Arsenal, meanwhile, could be set for a timely financial windfall ahead of the January transfer window if Lassana Diarra’s move from Portsmouth to Real Madrid goes through.

They are understood to have included a sell-on clause as part of the deal which took the midfielder to Pompey.

* Arsenal last night announced a restructuring of their board of directors. Richard Carr, a director for 27 years, has left the company board but will remain on the club board. Nina Bracewell-Smith will leave the boards of the company and the club. New chief executive Ivan Gazidis will join both boards on January 1, 2009.