Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has revealed that he feared that he had suffered a broken toe earlier this month.

The Dutch international picked up the problem during a Champions League fixture with Shakhtar Donetsk and has admitted that he was worried enough to undergo a scan.

"Against Shakhtar I got such a hard kick on my toe, I immediately thought it was broken. It was so sore," The Mirror quotes the 30-year-old as saying. "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."

Van Persie made the revelation shortly after he became the Netherlands' leading goalscorer of all time.