Arjen Robben's much-anticipated comeback on hold until next year

Netherlands great Arjen Robben's return on the field has been stalled by a year as the player is still battling with an injury. However, the player is still hopeful that he will feature this season. 

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Robben made a much-anticipated return to his home town club FC Groningen, but the player just played for 44 minutes in two appearances in the Dutch league this season.

He has struggled with hamstring problems and now has a calf injury.

"It is not yet going as I would like," he told his club's website (fcgroningen.nl).

"We have worked hard in recent months, but unfortunately without the desired result.

"I will use the rest of the year to recover and would really like to be on the field with the team in the New Year and play matches.

"Whether this will work, I cannot say yet. That we'll see in the coming period. Although my own situation has been disappointing, I am happy that our team is doing so well."

Robben's club is eighth in the points table and are at a difference of 10 points with league leaders. 

The Dutch has been a regular victim of injuries in his prolific career. He won 12 league titles in his career at PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich before retiring at the end of the 2018-19 season.

In June, he announced he had changed his mind and was making a return at his local club, where he had debuted as a professional while still a teenager.

However, he went off in the first half of the opening league game against PSV Eindhoven in mid-September. 

(Inputs from Reuters)