Arsenal playmaker Fabio Vieira is reportedly hopeful of making his return from groin surgery in time for next week's Champions League last-16 first leg affair with Porto.
The 23-year-old has missed the Gunners' last 15 matches in all competitions after undergoing surgery in November, and his last appearance for the club came in a 3-1 Premier League win over Burnley, where he was sent off as a substitute.
Mikel Arteta immediately ruled Vieira out for the rest of the calendar year, and updates on the Portugal Under-21 international's condition have been in short supply since.
Vieira has only been a bit-part player in North London over the past couple of years, but with Thomas Partey and Emile Smith Rowe also struggling with injuries, his return would be a welcome boost to Arteta's midfield ranks.
According to the Evening Standard, Vieira is now on the cusp of returning to full training, and he is targeting a competitive comeback against former club Porto in Europe next Wednesday.
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After finishing top of Group B in the Champions League, Arsenal will travel to the Estadio do Dragao for their opening last-16 encounter with Porto on February 21, three weeks before Arteta's men welcome their Portuguese counterparts to the Emirates for the return fixture.
Vieira is not expected to be passed fit for this weekend's trip to Burnley in the Premier League, but the playmaker could make the squad against his former club after three months on the sidelines.
Arsenal were supposedly hopeful that Vieira's groin pain would subside without the need for surgical intervention, but the 23-year-old was ultimately forced to undergo the procedure as the issue continued to plague him.
Vieira was a £29.9m arrival from Porto in the summer of 2022, and he has amassed three goals and 10 assists in 46 fixtures for Arsenal over the past season and a half, including one goal and four assists from 13 outings this season.
The Portuguese is yet to become a regular starter for Arteta, but his versatility has come in extremely handy, as he has covered for Bukayo Saka on the right wing when not occupying his preferred number 10 slot.
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With all of Vieira, Smith Rowe and Partey absent from the showdown with West Ham United, where Jorginho was also not risked due to a niggle, 16-year-old Ethan Nwaneri and the scarcely-seen Mohamed Elneny were both offered minutes off the bench.
Partey is also recovering from his own operation, having gone under the knife to address his latest thigh injury in October, and the Ghanaian briefly returned to full training before re-entering the treatment room due to a setback.
Meanwhile, Smith Rowe - another player bedevilled by fitness problems over the past couple of years - rolled his ankle in training last week, although that concern should not sideline him for the long-term.
Arsenal fans are also sweating over the fitness of Gabriel Jesus (knee) and Oleksandr Zinchenko (calf) ahead of the trip to Burnley, while Takehiro Tomiyasu returned from Asian Cup duty with a minor issue and also sat out the 6-0 slaughter of West Ham.
Long-term absentee Jurrien Timber is still several weeks away from making his return from an ACL problem for Arsenal, who sit third in the Premier League table.
Ben Knapton
