Robben gives Van Marwijk big scare

Sunday 30 May 2010

Bondscoach Bert van Marwijk got a big scare Saturday evening when Arjen Robben was holding his thigh and had to quit training. The Bayern Munich forward quickly stepped into a van that drove him to the hotel.

Excited photographers and cameramen rushed in to register the departure of one of Holland's big stars.

Fortunately it quickly turned out that there was no reason to be worried.

"His hip was causing him some trouble so he stopped as a precaution," says a spokesman of the KNVB, "it wasn't a big deal."

So Van Marwijk was calmed down quickly: "Arjen was a bit stiff. That's why he quit training."

Still the excitement around the early departure of Robben was understandable. The winger has been haunted by injuries throughout his career, which earned him the nickname 'man of glass'.

During the season Robben has mostly been spared from injuries. Apart from a painful hamstring in October he remained fit throughout the season and played a big part in Bayern's successful season. In the 24 Bundesliga games he played since Robben scored 16 goals and led his team to the final of the Champions League. Robben gave the excellence of the Bayern medical staff a lot of credit for his injury free season.