Netherlands coach Marco van Basten thinks the Group C opener against Italy on Monday will come too soon for Arsenal FC striker Robin van Persie.

‘Making progress’
The 24-year-old arrived at the Oranje training camp in Lausanne hampered by a thigh complaint – and only trained with the rest of the squad for the first time on Wednesday. Van Basten is pleased with his progress but harbours reservations about the forward’s stamina levels given his lack of match practice. “He is making progress day by day, and we are satisfied with his development,” said the coach. “But it is logical that, especially in endurance fitness, he still has to improve a bit.” Van Persie, though eager to play, concurs, telling euro2008.com: “I think it will be hard to play the full 90 minutes already.”

Developing picture
Van Basten also has work to do in training before settling on a game plan to defeat the world champions. “Things develop at a high tempo,” he said. “The big picture is already clear to us, but there are a few things I want to take a closer look at. We have followed a certain line in recent weeks and will keep to that. But from certain experiences we will also change some things. We are training towards several scenarios.”

Robin van Persie is afforded special status by Netherlands coach Marco van Basten. The Arsenal FC forward arrived at his country’s training camp two and a half weeks ago still troubled by a thigh injury, but Van Basten said he was so important he would be taken to UEFA EURO 2008 regardless.

Back in the fold
Up until yesterday Van Persie had trained alone, putting a question mark against his participation versus Italy on Monday. But he was fully involved on Wednesday when the Oranje completed their first training session on Swiss soil in Lausanne. Afterwards he said: “The last few weeks have been tough, but everything was under control. Every possible match situation was tested and I came through them all. But in group training it’s different as you have to do what the coach says. But it’s good to be back. I knew what to expect, maybe I’m a bit more tired, but that’s normal.

Hard to watch
“It has been very tough not to play,” continued the 24-year-old former Feyenoord prodigy. “I always suffer when I don’t play. I see the others playing freely, without any worries. But I have been well looked after, especially by the medical staff who deserve great credit – they have worked very hard with me, from nine to five o’clock every day.”

Special request
Van Persie’s last appearance for club or country came on 28 April against Derby County FC when he scored in a 6-2 Arsenal victory. He last played for the Oranje one month before that, in a 4-3 success over Austria in Vienna. So he is desperate to be involved in the Group C opener against the world champions in Berne; he even asked Van Basten to arrange an extra friendly.

Risky business
“He told me we would not need another friendly as we would have a practice match in training,” Van Persie said. “I don’t know if it is wise to start against Italy or not. I have done it with Arsenal after just one training session and one time it went OK, the other time it did not. I think it will be hard to play the 90 minutes. I say ‘I’m available’ then it’s up to the coach. I would pick myself for this match nine times out of ten. I feel good. But then I would always pick myself nine times out of ten.”

Robin van Persie (born August 6, 1983 in Rotterdam) is a Dutch footballer. He grew up in the Kralingen area of east Rotterdam, beginning his football career at Dutch side Excelsior as a youth player. In 2002 he was signed by Feyenoord, where he made a name for himself as a talented young striker. Following disciplinary problems at his new club, he then signed for English club Arsenal in 2004 for an estimated fee of £3 million. In 2005, he was called up to the Netherlands national squad, with whom he has scored 7 goals in 23 matches. He is currently contracted with Arsenal until 2011.

Biography

Early life

Robin van Persie was born to Dutch parents in the working-class neighborhood Kralingen in Rotterdam. His mother, José Ras, was a painter, and he was raised by his father, Bob, a sculptor. He grew up with his two sisters, Lily and Kiki. As a result of his creative parents, he was frequently encouraged to use his hands creatively as a child. However, it soon became apparent that he had more skill with his feet as he played football on the streets. Growing up, Van Persie also had disciplinary problems at his school in Rotterdam. He was frequently sent out of the classroom as punishment for misbehavior. Spending much time outside of the classroom, he became a close friend with 40-year-old Sietje Moush, the school’s caretaker. Aged 14, Van Persie was advised by Moush to concentrate on his studies rather than going out to nightclubs. Moush’s advice eventually led to Van Persie changing his behavior and subsequently starting his professional football career.

Early career

Van Persie joined Dutch side Excelsior as a youth player; though after clashing with the coaches at the club, he signed for Feyenoord in 2001, again as a youth player. He was quickly drafted into the first team due to injury problems with the rest of the squad, and made his début for the club aged 17, going on to make 15 first team appearances. Following impressive form, most notably his performance in the 3–2 UEFA Cup final victory over Borussia Dortmund on May 8, 2002, he was awarded the prestigious Best Young Talent award given by the KNVB for the 2001–02 season.

During the summer of 2002, Van Persie suffered a serious back injury. He recovered quickly though, and was fit in time for the ensuing 2002—03 season. At the beginning of the season, he signed a professional three-and-a-half year deal with Feyenoord, aged 18. Despite this fact coupled with his previous season’s good form, he again fell out with the club manager Bert van Marwijk, after the pair clashed. Van Persie was subsequently relegated to the reserve team. During this time, in the spring of 2003, aged 19, Van Persie played in a notable match between Feyenoord reserves and Ajax reserves. During the game, a group of football hooligans invaded the pitch, and beat up several Feyenoord players, including Van Persie, who suffered several punches and kicks. Despite this, he was not seriously injured. In spite of his difficulties at club level, he earnt several caps for the Netherlands under 19 and under 21 teams. Van Persie’s stay in the reserve team was temporary, however, as he went on to play 28 times in the league for the first team, ending the season with eight goals to his name. Feyenoord finished runners-up in the Dutch Cup, and Van Persie also made two appearances in the Champions League. However, on the eve of the UEFA Super Cup against Real Madrid in Monaco, Van Persie was sent home by his strict disciplinarian manager. Van Marwijk was reported to have been unhappy with Van Persie’s body language after being asked to warm up for a recent game.

During the summer of 2003 which followed, Feyenoord made attempts to extend Van Persie’s contract beyond 2005. Contract negotiations failed, and this fact combined with his deteriorating relationship with van Marwijk led to Van Persie being snubbed at Feyenoord for parts of the 2003—04 season. Despite this, he still managed 6 league goals in 28 appearances. It was also during the 2003—04 season that Feyenoord agreed to listen to offers for the unsettled forward. Despite such a low asking price for such a talented player, few clubs showed interest in the player due to his bad disciplinary reputation. Werder Bremen, Sevilla, Valencia, PSV Eindhoven and Arsenal were the only teams who made attempts to sign the player. Arsenal scout Steve Rowley conducted research to find out whether the Dutch rebel was really worth signing, and he concluded that Van Persie was just a misunderstood character, which led to Arsenal making a move to sign Van Persie during the January transfer window of 2004. Despite this, the two clubs were unable to agree to a deal. Arsenal’s persistence eventually paid off though during the following summer, as they won the race to sign the player.

Arsenal

On May 17, 2004, Van Persie moved to Arsenal for a fee believed to be in the range of £3 million. He signed a deal which would keep him at The Gunners for four years. Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger said of Van Persie, "He can play on the left side of midfield, as a creative player behind the main strikers or as a target man". He was also touted by many as a long-term replacement of Dennis Bergkamp. Arsenal had recently signed another young forward, in the way of Spanish striker José Antonio Reyes, which led to hot competition for places. Despite this, the young Dutchman immediately made his debut as a substitute for the team in the 3–1 FA Community Shield victory over Manchester United on August 8, 2004.

Van Persie spent most of his time on the bench during earlier parts of the 2004—05 season, though quickly he earned his competitive debut against Manchester City in the League Cup. On October 27, he scored Arsenal’s opening goal in the game to secure a 2—1 win. After a run in the first team, February saw his season take a turn for the worse, as he was sent off against Southampton which consequently cost Arsenal two points, and caused Wenger to display uncharacteristic anger in public with a player. It looked as if Van Persie had cemented his place on the bench. However, Van Persie redoubled his efforts in training during his subsequent suspension, and was reintroduced in to the team when injuries to Thierry Henry forced Wenger’s hand. His return to the first team saw him score numerous goals, including two important goals in the FA Cup semi-final against Blackburn Rovers to secure victory for Arsenal. He also scored the vital breakthrough goal against West Bromwich Albion to help Arsenal secure second place in the Premiership after the Albion defence had proved difficult to break down. Continuing to enjoy good form, his season was interrupted again as he suffered an injury. Despite this, he managed to score 10 goals in 40 appearances in his first season with Arsenal.

The summer which followed saw Robin van Persie receive his first full international Dutch cap against Romania on June 4, 2005. Van Persie was subbed on during the second half of the game, helping Holland to a 2—0 win. Four days later, Van Persie played for Holland against Finland. Again, he was used as a second half substitute, but he also managed Holland’s fourth goal of the game, sealing a 4—0 victory for his country.

Van Persie scored in the first game of the 2005—06 season and he continued to show good form, winning the prestigious Player of the Month award in November after scoring six goals in just four starts. He suffered from a brief knee injury over the Christmas period, but on January 4, 2006, his good form was rewarded in the form of a five-year contract extension until 2011. He finished the season having played in 38 games, and despite largely being used as a substitute, he scored 11 goals. Van Persie became known as a rare player who could make a goal out of nothing.

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