Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has admitted that he has been left "sad" for Fabio Vieira during the midfielder's recovery from a groin injury, but he has vowed to get the best out of the Gunners' "enormous talent".
The 23-year-old was apparently catching the eye of Manchester United before leaving Porto to join Arsenal in 2022, on the back of registering a division-high 14 assists in the 2021-22 Primeira Liga campaign.
Vieira's opportunities in the 2022-23 Premier League season were limited due to the form of Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka, though, as he only made the first XI on three occasions in the top flight, although he featured from the off in eight Europa League ties.
The Portugal Under-21 international amassed a respectable two goals and six assists from 33 outings in all tournaments last term and also hit the ground running in the 2023-24 Premier League season, setting up three goals in his first two outings.
However, Vieira's minutes would often still be limited to second-half cameos, and after his most recent appearance against Burnley in November - where he was sent off after coming on as a substitute - it was revealed that he would require an operation on a groin injury.
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The former Porto man has sat out the Gunners' last 16 matches in all competitions during his recovery, but he has made the flight to Portugal for the first leg of Arsenal's last-16 Champions League battle with his erstwhile employers and could make his comeback at the Estadio do Dragao.
Speaking in his pre-game press conference, Arteta affirmed that he was "really happy" with Vieira's contributions and promised that the highly-rated playmaker would fulfil his potential in North London.
"I'm really happy with him but sad at the same time because it's been a tough period for him, especially with the last injury, because he had some momentum and had put some performances together before he got injured," Arteta said.
"That broke up his rhythm again like last season, but he is an enormous talent and we're going to get the best out of him."
Vieira returns to his former stomping ground after winning two Primeira Liga titles and making 76 appearances for Porto, whom he joined as a youth player in 2008 and rose up the ranks during a 14-year spell at the Estadio do Dragao.
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The playmaker also turned out eight times for Porto in the Champions League - helping Sergio Conceicao's men reach the 2020-21 quarter-finals - and Arteta is relying on the 23-year-old to provide his teammates with "really important information" about his old team.
"He was really pushing because he wanted to be here, that's for sure. Having an insider, someone who has experience, and has lived the culture and the club gives you a lot of information," Arteta added.
"It's very important in Europe to understand the context of the game, what type of opponent they are, what type of atmosphere you're going to be facing and he can give us some really important information."
While Vieira has made the journey to Porto, Thomas Partey has apparently been left behind - despite also being pictured in team training after a thigh injury - while Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Takehiro Tomiyasu were not seen in team practice on Tuesday either.
Arsenal's most recent progression to the Champions League quarter-finals in 2009-10 came thanks to a last-16 win over Porto, who triumphed 2-1 on home turf before Arsene Wenger's men marched to an emphatic 5-0 win at the Emirates in the second leg.
Ben Knapton
