Robin Van Persie could be back in action by early April according to claims from Holland coach Bert van Marwijk.

The Arsenal striker has been laid low since November with an ankle injury sustained whilst on duty with van Marwijk for the friendly with Italy. The initial prognosis looked bleak with Wenger on the verge of ruling Van Persie out for the rest of the season. However, the latest we had from the Gunners boss stated that the striker could possibly make a return by the end of April…

“If you ask me is it the beginning of April, I would say categorically no because he has not started any real fitness work yet…Maybe [he will be back] at the end of April if all goes well. If there is no set-back, he should be back before the end of the season but it is very difficult to predict.”

Bert van Marwijk is more optimistic however, with reports today suggesting that Van Persie is well on course for an April return…

“I spoke to him on the phone last week and he is improving all the time and feeling better…You can hear it in his voice that he feels he is improving. I hope that he will play at the beginning of April and he feels this may be possible.”

Assessing a player’s fitness over the telephone is a new one on us and it’s unlikely that Wenger will be putting his chateau on having Van Persie in contention by early April. However, the situation is worth monitoring from a a fantasy perspective.

Van Persie has so far notched seven goals and seven assists in just 11 starts this season. Only teammate Fabregas can match him for points-per-game. It would be fair to say that before his setback, Arsenal were hugely reliant on Robin (sorry). Seriously though, Van Persie could make a most effective differential for the last few weeks of the season, particularly with Arsenal’s generous looking run-in.

In addition, the fantasy fortunes of Nicklas Bendtner are directly linked to Van Persie’s return date. When the Dutchman gets back we’re likely to see the “Great Dane” warming Arsenal’s bench once more.