Van Marwijk on Robben injury: "bad news"
Saturday, 5 June 2010
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| A dreadful moment for Dutch football
fans: Arjen Robben on the ground, holding his leg
with a painful face |
It is yet unclear how serious the
hamstring injury of Arjen Robben is, but that it's serious
seems certain. Holland manager Bert van Marwijk speaks
of a "bad news". Robben got injured in the
last minutes of the game against Hungary, this afternoon.
He will not travel with team to South Africa tonight.
The forward will be examined in Holland and join the
team later.
"There's no point in putting
him on a plane now. This is bad news," Holland
boss Van Marwijk told SBS. "I am assuming that
it is pretty serious," said Van Marwijk before
he left with his team to the airport to fly to Johannesburg
tonight. Robben will stay behind to be examined in hospital
on Sunday. "It would be unwise to bring him along
now."
Van Marwijk doesn't yet want to
think about a possible replacement for Robben. "We
want to wait and see as long as possible. I can call
up a replacement until 24 hours before kickoff of the
game against Denmark (14 June, df). And there are methods
nowadays to treat these kinds of injuries a lot faster.
Yet I would have rather lost today's game and have Robben
in one piece than what has happened now."
Van Marwijk is high hopes though
that Robben can be of value to the team in South Africa.
Without saying it in so many words Van Marwijk did indicate
he will keep Robben with the team if there's a chance
he can play after the group stages.
"I am thinking along those
lines, yes. But I have an 11 hour flight ahead of me
to consider all options."
Robben had only just recovered
from a slight hip injury and Van Marwijk kept him on
the bench as a precaution in the first half. "Yet
this had nothing to do with his earlier complaints.
He made an unnatural movement in the thick of the battle
and over stretched his hamstring. He said he felt a
serious sting and that is usually not a good sign."
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