Van Persie: I am fit for World Cup

Van Persie: I am fit for World Cup

Amsterdam - Netherlands captain Robin van Persie
has declared himself 100 percent fit for the World Cup
as the Dutch national side arrived in Rio de Janeiro on
Friday for the June 12-July 13 tournament.
The Manchester United striker was withdrawn at half-
time of his country's final warm-up game against
Wales in Amsterdam on Wednesday with a groin issue
but insisted it was only as a precautionary measure
after he felt some discomfort.
Van Persie added that he had also fully recovered
from the knee injury which kept him out action for two
months towards the end of the Premier League
season.
"Against Wales, I stayed behind in the changing room
for the second half just to be careful because the
match against Spain is much more important," he
said of the opening game for the Dutch at the World
Cup in Salvador on Friday - a repeat of the 2010 final.
"My groin was progressively a little irritated. If it had
been a sudden pain I would been concerned but you
can't really even call it an injury."
As far as his knee was concerned, Van Persie said in
an interview in Friday's edition of the Dutch
newspaper De Telegraaf, conducted on the flight to
Rio, that he continued to work daily on strengthening
the muscles.
"I've had no twinges from the knee since the injury
healed and that's several weeks now. Obviously, I've
had to make an effort to get my fitness back and that
I've build up perfectly in training over the last weeks."
The Dutch will also face Chile and Australia in World
Cup Group B.