Robin van Persie was subbed off during our defeat against Yokohama on Monday and David Moyes confirmed afterwards that he had a slight injury.

“Robin just felt his thigh in the first half and we didn’t want to take any chances,” he said.

Ahead of the game, Moyes claimed that he had been overtraining Van Persie to get him up to speed.

“I have been impressed by his professionalism as well,” he said. “We have overtrained him this week to try and make sure we build up his fitness but he has never complained about a thing. What we are trying to do is get him in a condition that would allow him to do exactly what he did last year: score goals for Manchester United and be a really big influence on the team and its performances. I am hoping he will be as big an influence again this season.”

Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen, who has who has worked with Barcelona, Chelsea and City, laid in to Moyes after he talked about Van Persie’s later injury, claiming our new manager was a “dinosaur” and was to blame for injury.

“It really makes you wonder how these pre-historic training methods can still take place at the highest level,” he said. “The only way to solve this problem in Jurassic Park is to improve education of these dinosaur coaches, fitness clowns and scientific cowboys. But as long as most dinosaurs are still in denial and ignore how things develop in other countries, nothing will ever change in Jurassic Park. Obviously, players like Van Persie should learn to protect themselves better against ‘overtraining’ and ‘punishing training’. Hopefully, next generation coaches who do want to make a change in Jurassic Park will get a bigger podium so we get rid of old boys network. All over the world in pre-season you see the pattern ‘overtraining-fatigue-injuries’. Always avoid accumulation of fatigue in pre-season.”

Van Persie has today been confirmed as fit and will play in tomorrow’s match.