Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has praised the form of his Dutch striker Robin Van Persie.

Van Persie, who has scored 28 goals in 27 Premier League games during 2011, was named October Player of the Month on Friday.

Wenger believes that Van Persie has matured since he joined the club and can now bare comparison with Thierry Henry.

"He has totally matured. He is much more focused on efficiency. You have to give him credit as he is a football lover," said Wenger.

"He came here as a winger and when you look at the number of goals, you can only say fantastic.

"I bought Thierry because he has power and pace, Robin van Persie more because I wanted to add a technical player to add in front of [Cesc] Fabregas and it worked. He has scored straight away."

The 28-year-old is set to return to the Arsenal starting lineup for their match against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.