Oh my gosh, today was probably the worst day in the season so far. So bad, that I had to get up and write a quick article on it… When I woke up and check my phone, there it was… the news that I just couldn’t believe was the case… Robin Van Persie will be out injured for 4 to 5 months.
Wow. In shock!
The club released a statement:
“Robin van Persie returned to Arsenal on November 22nd following an ankle injury sustained whilst on international duty with Holland. The injury was expected to keep him out of action for between four and six weeks. Upon his return, the Arsenal medical team conducted a thorough review of his scans, his early injury management and the treatment he had received. Having scrutinised these in detail and assessed the response of his ankle, the club’s medical team concluded that further investigation and opinion was required. Advice was sought from the leading ankle specialist Mr Niek van Dijk, who confirmed that more extensive damage had been suffered than was first diagnosed. In order to repair his ankle, Robin will undergo surgery next week in Amsterdam to reconstruct the ligaments. The club’s medical team anticipate that a full recovery will take between four and five months.”
Shocking news and the interesting thing is that it looks like the diagnosis could have been done when he returned from International duty – but it looks (to a certain degree) that the club trusted the initial report from the Dutch FA, which was most likely normally sufficient with x-rays etc.
Robin Van Persie was very disappointed and talked about the recent treatment – the now famous horse placenta!
“In the area of torn muscles and partly torn ligaments she has treated players in the majority of cases with success. A number of Liverpool and Chelsea players have all benefited from her treatments. They were all back on the pitch in a very short time. As I was enjoying a fantastic period with Arsenal and the first official diagnosis from the doctors was that I would be out for six weeks, I wanted to bring that period back to three or four weeks. But the ligaments in my ankle were completely ruptured. That’s why the treatment in Serbia, we know now, never had the chance to be successful from the start. I have never wanted to go for alternative medical help before. Normally I am too cool for that kind of thing. But because I wanted to grab every opportunity to get fit again and to be back on the pitch with Arsenal, I decided to have a go. If it does not help me, it won’t harm me either. That was my motto. I had the treatment methods checked intensively before I went out there. I demanded to know if there was any way it could do any damage. It couldn’t. Which is why I went. A lot has been said and written about it. But the method of treatment in Serbia is not a bizarre thing. I did not have anything injected in my body. The treatment was solely on the surface.’’
He went on to talk about the treatment and how it’s had such a bizarre response from the UK media recently but he doesn’t regret disclosing his treatment methods, apparently it’s the norm in Serbia!
“People say I should have kept it quiet. But because I always want to be honest and I felt as if I had nothing to hide, I wanted to be open about it. I was in continuous contact with the medical staff at Arsenal, with whom I have an excellent relationship. In fact, I admire our medical people at the club for giving me the chance to work on a really fast return into the team. A lot of other people made comments without having any knowledge of the treatment methods in Serbia. But I was surprised by the hype and some of the bizarre comments. All those people forget I only had one goal with all this: I wanted to get back in the team at Arsenal as quick as possible.’’
To be honest, this latest set back must come as a massive blow to the Dutchman – he’s been struggling with injuries since he joined us, and personally I can’t remember when he had an injury free season. As a fan, I’m very very upset – we’ve lost one of our most influential players, our vice-captain for the rest of the season – a player who was having arguably the best season of his career.
“It is so frustrating to be out for months. I was having a super season with the team. I had never felt as strong and powerful as this year. Apart from, I think, two matches, I either scored or made goals in all the games we played this season. I was getting so strong, that I felt nobody could stop me anymore. That is the greatest feeling you can have as a player. It is such a pity that great run has been stopped for the time being by one kick in a friendly international match. It is a real shame for me, for the team and for the fans of Arsenal.’’
The question remains whether Arsene will delve into the market? With Eduardo, Vela, Walcott and Bendtner all injury prone too, and three forward positions to fill, it does make sense to add to team in January – but January is 6 weeks away and we’ve got a lot to think about before then… starting with…
