Van Persie hits form to beat the bad times
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Your support makes all the difference.The 22-year-old Dutch international scored twice against Sunderland in a 3-0 Carling Cup win on Tuesday, but Wenger has Jose Antonio Reyes returning from a rib injury and the Gunners will also have the club record goalscorer Thierry Henry available.
Van Persie has not started a Premiership game since the goalless draw against West Ham in September, and could be on the bench again with Dennis Bergkamp also in contention to start the north London derby.
"There is a lot of competition up front," Wenger said. "We have Reyes coming back and [Freddie] Ljungberg coming back."
However, his double at the Stadium of Light proved Van Persie is back on form. The youngster has endured a troubled few months, having been in jail for two weeks this summer while under investigation over a rape allegation that he denies.
Van Persie was also criticised for a wild tackle against FC Thun in the Champions' League, which led to a red card and questions of his temperament following a similar dismissal against Southampton last season. But Wenger has been impressed with how Van Persie has overcome the summer's difficulties and adapted his game to fit into the English top flight.
"His performance shows he is improving. Physically he looked very strong and very mature," Wenger said after the Sunderland win. "I felt at the start of the season it took time for him to get over what had happened and [Tuesday] was one of the first times I have seen Robin van Persie back to his normal level, and even stronger."
Wenger added: "I feel there is an adaptation for a young player coming to English football of six to eight months to adjust to the pace of the game and the physical challenges. I was pleased with the way he used his body against Sunderland. That was his problem when he arrived here because it is not as physical as that in Holland."
Emmanuel Eboue, 22, opened the scoring for Arsenal at the Stadium of Light, with Van Persie adding the other two goals.
Van Persie's first was from the penalty spot, particularly notable as it followed on from Thierry Henry and Robert Pires contriving to miss a spot-kick against Manchester City last Saturday in a somewhat comical fashion. "The instruction is always to put the ball in the net, but the way to do it is down to the players," Wenger said.
The Sunderland manager, Mick McCarthy, was full of praise for Wenger's young side. "That is not an ordinary set of reserves," he said. "They've got the best young talent around."
Meanwhile, Wenger confirmed the club could sign the Mexican youngster Carlos Vela from Guadalajara in the future after having the 17-year-old on trial.
"He was one of the young boys we had in training to have a look at them but he has gone back to his club," Wenger said. "In one or two years we will decide but we cannot comment until he is the age of 18."
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