Eduardo, the Arsenal midfielder, hopes to return to first-team action with Arsenal before Christmas after making good progress in his recovery from an horrific leg injury that threatened to end his career.

The Croatia forward suffering a compound fracture to his left fibula and a dislocated ankle after a tackle by Martin Taylor, of Birmingham City, during a televised Premier League fixture at St Andrew's in February.

The injury was so bad that Sky Sports chose not to replay the incident, while Taylor received death threats from Croatian fans amid fears that the Rio de Janiero-born player would not play again.

Eduardo, 25, however, says the first part of his rehabilitation has gone well and is hopeful that he will receive good news when he meets his doctor this week to discover when he can start training.

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"I want to find out as well when he thinks I can play again," Eduardo said. "My hope is that it will be before Christmas. I have had a lot of difficulties to overcome but right now I am very happy with the progress I am making.

"I am just waiting for the moment when I am ready to play again. Every day I dream about when I get back on to the football pitch, but I am in no rush. I am still trying to get my focus back, too, but the worst part is done with."

The player has completed part of his rehabilitation in Brazil, where he grew up before moving to Croatia as a teenager, and received support there from the local Arsenal supporters' club.

"The fans from the club came to visit me when I was working on my treatment. That kind of thing helps me a lot. Not only the Arsenal fans but also my family and friends."

Arsenal will need as many of their first-team squad available as possible after a summer in which they have sold Alexander Hleb, Mathieu Flamini and Gilberto Silva, while making only two high-profile signings, Samir Nasri and Aaron Ramsey.

Eduardo, however, is confident that the changes will not prevent the club from challenging for the Premier League title. "We have four chances to win a trophy," he said. "We have a good chance to win something. Let's hope we can get the title."

Interview by Arsenal TV Online.

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