Fenerbahce forward Robin van Persie has claimed that he will only spend three weeks on the sidelines with a knee injury.
On Tuesday, reports emerged that the Netherlands international faced at least 12 months out of the sport, with the suggestion that the former Arsenal and Manchester United attacker may call time on his career.
However, Van Persie has moved quickly to play down the extent of the issue, insisting that he had not suffered a torn cruciate ligament in his nation's World Cup qualifier with France.
In a statement, the 34-year-old said: "I would like to make this brief statement with the intention to solely clarify news spread concerning myself.
"I regret that any statements about my injury have been made without my consent and approval. At the moment, I have a minor keen injury which has an average recovery time of 3 weeks. This is the conclusion of several knee specialists that come highly recommended, based on the scans, clinical tests and the fact that I could resume the match after the moment the injury happened.
"I'm looking forward to being back on the training pitch soon."
Van Persie had been tipped to join either Feyenoord or Crystal Palace this summer, but the decision was eventually made to remain in Turkey.
Darren Plant
