Arsene Wenger hopes there is a "little chance" that striker Robin van Persie will return to action before the end of the season.
Van Persie, who had scored eight goals in 15 appearances before his injury setback, has made a good recovery.
"There is still a little chance for Robin this season," Wenger said.
"We are following his progress and physically he is quite sharp, but once he is ready to kick the ball again it will still take him another three weeks.
"This means that, even if he came back next week, adding another three weeks on would still take him nearly into May."
Darren on great scoring Bent - Bruce
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce received another return on his £10m investment in Darren Bent as the striker smashed through the 20-goal barrier with a quick-fire double in the Black Cats' 3-1 home victory over Birmingham.
The former Tottenham man, whose total fee is dependent on appearances and goals, stated his case once again for inclusion in England's World Cup squad.
Bruce said: "He has done fantastically for us and he is worth every penny.
"It just shows that a bit of quality, playing every week, he has flourished with the chance we have given him. He has been terrific... he will probably end up costing us £14m."
Redknapp eyes Gudjohnsen move
Harry Redknapp wants to make the transfer of Eidur Gudjohnsen from Monaco permanent in the summer.
The Tottenham boss reckons Gudjohnsen, 31, can play a major role between now and the end of the season, particularly if a scheduled scan on Roman Pavlyuchenko's hamstring reveals he will be missing for some time.
Redknapp said of Gudjohnsen: "He is a top player. He has been so unlucky because Pav started hitting that excellent patch so it was hard to get him in the team.
"I think he thought he had made the wrong move going to Monaco. That is where people go to retire and he was not enjoying his football. I would be interested in taking him permanently."
Moyes backs Arteta to star for Spain
Everton manager David Moyes believes that playmaker Mikel Arteta will be able to force his way into the Spain squad.
Arteta scored a 20-yard free-kick to lay the foundations for a 2-0 win over Bolton that was Everton's seventh consecutive home victory, their best run in 20 years.
It was Arteta's third goal in six starts since returning, earlier this year, from 12 months on the sidelines following surgery.
"That was a terrific free-kick," said Moyes.
"Mikel's growing in confidence and improving all the time. I am sure Spain will be looking after the World Cup and seeing what is coming through."
Staunton leaves after record low
Darlington have parted company with a manager for the second time this season after opting to relieve Steve Staunton of his duties.
The 41-year-old former Ireland boss only took over at the Northern Echo Arena in October after the sacking of Colin Todd, but he has been unable to prevent the Quakers from falling 19 points short of safety at the foot of League Two.
Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Barnet was watched by a record-low crowd of 1,463 and chairman Raj Singh has admitted that he was left with little option when it came to ending Staunton's five-month stay with the club.
"The most disappointing side was the attendance - a record low crowd told us a lot," Singh said.
Defeat is no crisis for Van Bommel
Bayern Munich captain Mark van Bommel insisted Saturday's shock defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt 'is not the end of the world' as the German giants lost for the first time in 20 league games.
Bayern's last league defeat was back in September 2009. But while van Bommel anticipates some negative headlines in the media this week, he insisted the Champions League's quarter-finalists are not in crisis.
"We have lost the first game in the Bundesliga for a long time," said van Bommel, whose side face Man. United in the Champions League last eight.
"But losing a single game is not the end of the world."
Nakamura comeback goal dispels doubts
Shunsuke Nakamura has scored his first goal since returning to the J-League from Spain, with a spectacular strike which could dispel doubts about his role in Japan's World Cup campaign.
He curled in a 25-metre left-footer after getting on the end of a defensive clearance from Kawasaki Frontale to open the scoring for Yokohama Marinos's 4-0 win on Saturday.
The 31-year-old midfielder blew a kiss toward a roaring crowd in his second game since rejoining Yokohama.
"It can become a kind of weapon for me," he said.
"I've practised a kick that sends the ball wavering. It went as I planned it."