Van Persie prepared to wait

Robin van Persie revealed he is ready to bide his time for a regular first-team place as he prepared to lead the attack against Reading in the Carling Cup tonight.

Van Persie is set to be one of just a handful of senior players on display at Highbury, along with Jose Antonio Reyes, Pascal Cygan and Mathieu Flamini.

Otherwise, the Gunners will again field a virtual reserve team, just as they did in the previous round at Sunderland, where they won 3-0.

Van Persie, 22, scored twice at the Stadium of Light amid a run of seven goals in his past seven games, including a superb late strike against Blackburn last weekend.

That curling effort nevertheless came after he replaced Dennis Bergkamp and while he may start tonight against Reading, that could mean he is back on the bench this weekend at Bolton.

However, he insisted: “I accept it. I played 70 minutes against Wigan and I played the whole game against FC Thun last week.

“I am only 21 and the boss plays me quite a lot. I have no reason to complain.

“I know I have to play well for the team – to score some goals or make some passes. That has happened in the past six or seven games and I am very happy with that. That is what they pay me for.

“Anyway, if you come on in the last 15 or 20 minutes or even less, like against Blackburn, the opposition are sometimes a little bit tired. If your runs are smart then you can catch them.”

Van Persie warned that Arsenal are starting to rediscover their best form, repeating his belief they can still catch Chelsea in the Barclays Premiership.

“I have had that feeling [we are improving] in the past two months,” he told the club’s website, www.arsenal.com.

“Before that, we had had a slow start. But every season is like a marathon and the only thing that counts is where we are at the end.

“We still have hopes for that. Everybody is talking about Chelsea. Yes, they have a good side. But if we keep on playing like this and winning our games then why not?”

Against Reading, the Dutchman could be partnered by either Arturo Lupoli or Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, who both made a big impression in last season’s competition.

Midfielder Alex Song has been ruled out of tonight’s game with a knee problem but Emmanuel Eboue has recovered from a similar injury.