Robin van Persie has given a medical update after the match in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie with Heracles Almelo. Despite the 4-2 win, Feyenoord’s coach still had some concerns about the match, as no fewer than four players had to be substituted in pain.
After just over an hour of play things went wrong for Tsuyoshi Watanabe, who sprained his ankle and had to be substituted immediately. Luciano Valente then also had to be substituted, while Anel Ahmedhodzic could not continue either. Hwang In-beom reached the final whistle, but was visibly in pain.
“Shortly after the match it is difficult to judge how Watanabe is doing,” Van Persie responds to the camera ESPN. “But I think he sprained his ankle. The question is how bad that is, and we have to wait and see. We all hope that it won’t be too bad.”
“Ahmedhodzic was hit, and it bothered him a lot. He asked for a substitution himself. It depends on what the impact of that tap was, but if Anel asks for a substitution, he really has to go. He normally never does that.”
“Hwang worked hard and had cramps. Luciano Valente also had cramps. That can happen sometimes, they had muscle pain,” Van Persie reassures.
“All in all, it is a small step in the right direction. We are not there yet and it is a long road, but we are very happy with this victory. Step by step we are back to our level,” the trainer concludes.
The coach also makes it clear that Sem Steijn had made many meters and minutes and therefore did not start against Heracles. It is expected that he will be back in the starting line-up next Thursday against Real Betis.
