Robin van Persie intends to play football with a smile on his face next season - and he has backed Arsenal's youngsters to have a major say in the fight for the Barclays Premier League title.

The 23-year-old Dutchman marked his long-awaited return from injury with a superb winner against Inter Milan yesterday to help Arsenal secure the inaugural Emirates Cup.

While the current side is very much still a work in progress, there were signs in the two games over the weekend that the future without Thierry Henry may just not be so gloomy after all. The likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Theo Walcott and Tomas Rosicky are set to return for the Amsterdam Tournament, which starts against Lazio on Thursday.

Midfielder Gilberto, the likely man to replace Henry as full-time captain, will return from an extended break following Brazil's Copa America triumph next week, but will not feature for the opening Premier League game against Fulham.

By then, manager Arsene Wenger hopes summer signing Eduardo da Silva will have been given the all clear from the Home Office, with his appeal for a work permit set to be heard ahead of the games in Amsterdam.

Van Persie - who netted 13 goals before breaking his metatarsal in the win over Manchester United in January - is in no doubt this current crop of talent have got what it takes to compete for the top prizes again. "Football is not about age," he said. "It is not about money. It is not about those things. Football is about if you want to run for each other, if you want to fight for each other, if you want to really play some ball.

"Chelsea and Manchester did a great job last year. It is hard to fight with them, but I know we can do it. Liverpool have spent lots of money, Chelsea have been doing that the last few years. I respect that. This is their way of winning things - but we can win things as well. We are young. So what? Age does not matter. It is about the way we play football and the way we like to play together.

"If you win the title with this team [Arsenal] it would be great. I really believe we can do that. I really believe that in my heart."

With Henry gone, Van Persie looks set to find himself highlighted as the most likely source of goals, but he insisted it would not affect him. "I do not feel the pressure at all," he said. "It is not my aim to be the top scorer. My aim is to play good football with this team.

"Of course there are lots of responsibilities because you are playing in front of 60,000 people. You play to win things. Yes. But I play football because I like it. I will destroy that feeling if I say to myself I have to score at least 20 goals or 15 goals."