Robin van Persie is returning to Arsenal training next week.

"Van Persie and [Abou] Diaby are not far," boss Arsene Wenger told arsenal.com. "From next week they will be back in normal training."

However Wenger added that a return against Steaua Bucharest on Wednesday "looks early".

"We have to see how he [Van Persie] responds to contact training," the Frenchman went on. "Don't forget he has been out for seven or eight weeks and has had no contact until now so we might have to be a little bit patient."