Underhill may be an inauspicious venue for a player more used to pilfering in the six-yard boxes of Europe's most glamorous arenas but Eduardo da Silva will hardly care as he strides out at Barnet in front of a smattering of supporters this evening. Almost 10 months since he was carried from the turf at St Andrew's with his left ankle mangled and horribly distorted, the Croatia international returns to action for Arsenal's reserve side, with a return to the first team finally coming into view.
The Brazil-born striker is ready to take the next significant step in a long recovery. Eduardo has been champing at the bit in training recently with his rehabilitation from the injury sustained in a challenge with the Birmingham City defender Martin Taylor back in February having progressed as smoothly as anyone could have hoped. The 25-year-old has been upbeat throughout, amazing members of staff at London Colney with his optimistic outlook given the severity of the compound fracture to his left fibula and open dislocation of his ankle which brought an abrupt end to his first campaign in English football.
Arsenal's season arguably turned on the incident, the club seeing their lead at the top of the Premier League subsequently eroded with players clearly unnerved by the injury suffered by their 12-goal forward. The player himself credited Gary Lewin, then the Arsenal physio, with saving his foot straight after the break yet doubts remained as to whether Eduardo would ever return to fitness with the same sharpness and bite that prompted Arsène Wenger to pay Dinamo Zagreb around £8m for his services some 18 months ago. The forward will hope to dispel lingering fears over the next few weeks.
"It is great news," said Wenger of the forward's imminent return. "The problem for Eduardo is that, even though he is playing a game, we still must get him back to a competitive level. We don't know how much patience he will need but, if patience is needed, we have to take it.
"I still believe we have to give him at least one-and-a-half month's competition before he will be back at the level he was before. But he has a fantastic basis of fitness because he has worked unbelievably hard. I mean unbelievably. So he could still surprise us by being a little bit quicker."
Arsenal will welcome him with open arms. They have lacked the poacher he was threatening to become, their forward line too blunt too often as the Croatian, denied an appearance at Euro 2008 by the injury‚ pondered what might have been. The player had discarded his crutches as early as May and, with the new campaign a month old, Wenger admitted he was "progressing amazingly quickly".
Eduardo is relishing a return to full training with the rest of the first-team squad. "There is no reason why he can't be as good as before," offered Wenger in October. "He is a very young boy and when you have that kind of injury before the age of 25 you recover and progress normally. That is what the statistics say. [If you are older] when you have that kind of injury, it is bye-bye to your career. The luck we have is that he's very young."
Eduardo will feel he merits some good fortune. The fixture against Portsmouth's second string had always been pencilled in as his likely comeback date, though Wenger will be as heartened as the player that all has gone to plan. A significant contingent of Croatian press is expected tonight, hoping to chart the return of their national side's talisman. Arsenal, fifth in the Premier League and frustrated after shedding yet more points at the weekend, will be stronger for his presence.
