Source: Daily_Mail
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger fumes as Van Persie is forced to go under the knife
Arsene Wenger has criticised the demands of international footballafter it was confirmed that Robin van Persie is likely to be out forthe rest of the season as his ankle ligament injury now requiressurgery.[LNB] Wenger, who takes on Chelsea today in a vital game for Arsenal'sPremier League title hopes, was initially told there was only minordamage after the striker was injured in Holland's friendly againstItaly. [LNB] Agony: Robin van Persie damages his ankle ligaments in action for Holland[LNB] Van Persie out for five months as Arsenal striker undergoes ankle opARSENAL FC: All the latest news from across the webDepressed Arshavin loses Arsenal mojo as he hits out at Russia claimsIt has since emerged that all the ligaments in his ankle are ruptured, which requires an operation by renowned Dutch surgeon Niek van Dijk and which means the player has missed two vital weeks of proper rehabilitation. [LNB]Wenger, who has previously been annoyed by the treatment of his players while on international duty, said: 'The injury was much more serious than the Dutch told us. [LNB]'There's a lot wrong in our sport that is detrimental to the clubs who pay a lot of money to the players. They go away, they are injured and the national team keeps them for 10 days. It doesn't exist in other sports. In basketball, if they get injured they fly back the next day.' [LNB]Van Persie, Arsenal's leading scorer with eight goals, said: 'If I had known at the time what I know now, I would have been operated on immediately. We have all been steered in the wrong direction.' [LNB]The news about Van Persie could not come at a worse time for Arsenal, who saw left-back Kieran Gibbs break a metatarsal last week, an injury which will keep him out for three months. [LNB]They are still waiting for the club's first-choice left-back Gael Clichy to recover from a back injury. [LNB]Wenger has blamed the international programme for the shock defeat at Sunderland last week and said: 'It's a complete joke. My players had to play all over the world, then get 100 per cent fit for Sunderland. That's impossible. You need a magician to do that. It's totally disrespectful.' [LNB]Van Persie's injury was initially assessed by Holland team doctors and on the basis of the early diagnosis that the ligament damage was limited, Wenger agreed for the player to visit Belgrade placenta doctor, Mariana Kovacevic. [LNB]The Dutch striker said: 'Normally I am too cool for that kind of thing. But I wanted to grab every opportunity to get fit again.' [LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People:Arsene Wenger, Robin van PersiePlaces:Italy, The Netherlands
