Robben on his way to South Africa!

Sunday, 6 June 2010

The chances that Arjen Robben can play for Holland during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa are looking a lot better than they did yesterday, when it was feared he would miss the entire World Cup. Tests in Hospital reveal that he only has a minor tear in his left hamstring. It's yet unclear how long Robben will be sided, but it's almost certain that he can recover relatively quickly and play later on in the tournament.

Holland boss Bert van Marwijk was delighted with the news. "I have decided not call up a replacement and thus give him all the time he needs to recover for the later stage of the tournament. We'll have to see over the course of the next few days when he can fly to South Africa and join the squad."

"It was hard to make the first diagnose. I was in quite some pain and thought something was ripped," Robben said on Dutch television, Sunday night. But tests in hospital revealed a tiny little tear in the left hamstring. The damage is minor, it's a minuscule tear, but it has to heal."

"By just resting it, it would take 4 to 6 weeks. We need a different approach now. Monday at 7h30 I'll be with physiotherapist Dick van Toorn and we'll work hard to get everything fixed. I have a lot of faith it will be just fine. Of course we will have to see how it goes over the next few days. I know what Van Toorn can do. It could be okay in a week. But we have to work hard."

Robben got injured in the game against Hungary on Saturday. The forward, who has been in great shape for most of the season at Bayern Munich, had just recovered from a minor hip injury. He came on in the second half and scored two goals.

Holland will start the tournament on 14 June with a game against Denmark. The first possible second round game Holland could play would be on June 28, which would leave Robben 23 days to recover for that game if Holland qualify.