Robben could miss rest of 2010, says Bayern boss

Dutch winger Arjen Robben could be out for the rest of the year as he struggles to recover from a thigh injury he picked up at the World Cup, his club Bayern Munich said on Sunday.

Robben, 26, picked up the injury playing for the Netherlands before last month’s World Cup finals and although he played a big part in helping the Dutch get to the final, he has aggravated the injury and now needs complete rest.

It now looks as though the Dutchman could be out until the winter break when the second half of the season begins in January.

“It is more than questionable whether Arjen will be able to play for us in the Bundesliga’s round of matches before Christmas,” Bayern’s director of sport Christian Nerlinger told German daily Bild on Sunday.

After playing with the injury at the World Cup, Robben made the problem worse, which Bayern are far from happy about and are seeking compensation from the Dutch Football Association.

“The healing process is unsatisfactory. It will take a long time before Arjen is fit again,” said Nerlinger.

Bayern slumped to their first competitive defeat of the season on Friday when they were shocked 2-0 at Kaiserslautern on Friday night in the Bundesliga and they had hoped to have Robben back by October, but it could be much longer.