Arsenal striker Robin van Persie says the imminent return of Eduardo will come at a vital stage of the season.

Despite a slight hamstring strain in his comeback match for the Gunners reserves, Eduardo is expected to be back in the first team line-up soon which pleases van Persie greatly.

"He is fine. He has been working really well with Tony Colbert. For him, it has been a really long way," van Persie told Arsenal TV.

"I have spent some time on the sidelines, so I know how it feels. You need to take it step by step and he is doing that. He is coming into our sessions quite often lately and last week he had a few finishes that were just like the Eduardo from nine months ago.

"He still moves the same way and if you look at what happened to him, that is a really positive thing. I think the way he finishes and the way he plays makes him very unique.

"We need him, because he has his own style of playing and I cannot compare anyone with him. The closest that comes to him is maybe [Carlos] Vela - they are both quick, both really clever in front of the goal, and know where the game is won.

"It is always good to have different types of strikers in the squad."