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REVEALED: Manchester United striker Robin van Persie thought he broke his toe
MANCHESTER UNITED striker Robin van Persie thought he had fractured his toe earlier this month.
The former Arsenal ace hurt his toe during the Champions League group draw against Shakhtar Donetsk after getting a kick.
He was forced to play through the pain barrier when Holland demolished Hungary 8-1 in a World Cup qualifier.
And after suffering a broken foot eight years ago, he thought he had picked up a similar injury.
"Against Shakhtar I got such a hard kick on my toe, I immediately thought it was broken. It was so sore," he told a national paper.
"On the Thursday, after returning to Manchester, I had a scan. Eight years ago I broke a bone on my other foot and it felt like a similar injury.
"I was so relieved there was no fracture visible, but doctors told me it was badly bruised. I was told to rest it, but I wanted to play against Sunderland.
"So we did what they call a quick fix. The medics gave me an injection.
"But I have said I won't do that again. If I keep having injections in my toe, it is not going to improve. It will get more sensitive and painful.
"I have to admit it was a gamble playing against Hungary. I'd not trained and you never know how that can work out when you play again."
The 30-year-old scored a hat-trick to overtake Patrick Kluivert as Holland's all-time leading scorer.