Robin van Persie confirms Raheem Sterling plan as star banned from training

Robin van Persie has revealed his plan for Raheem Sterling

Robin van Persie has revealed Feyenoord have swiftly arranged a training camp in Belgium so Raheem Sterling can link up with his new team-mates.

The England winger sealed a surprising switch to the Dutch club last week, following a mutual agreement to end his Chelsea contract during the January transfer window. It's believed Sterling held talks with 18 clubs before choosing Feyenoord, where he'll feature under former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Van Persie.

Sterling hadn't featured for a single minute with Chelsea this campaign and will be eager to make an immediate impact whilst reviving his faltering career. However, the 31-year-old faces a delay due to work permit complications.

Raheem Sterling has been unable to train with his new club

Feyenoord competed without their free transfer signing on Sunday, defeating Go Ahead Eagles 1-0, with Sterling unable to even train alongside his new teammates.

Yet to circumvent the present deadlock, Van Persie has confirmed his squad will depart for a camp on Monday, where they'll be accompanied by the four-time Premier League winner.

Van Persie commented: "That's allowed abroad. We're doing it for him, but I also want to work on our team development. We can have some good conversations and do something fun together.

"He'll start training the day after tomorrow," Van Persie added. "We'll see each week when he's fit for a match. That will take some time, but that seems logical to me, since he hasn't played for six months."

Sterling watched Feyenoord's win over Go Ahead Eagles from the stands

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Speaking after his transfer was confirmed, Sterling said: "As a free agent, I've had, for the first time in a long time, the opportunity to control the next step in my career. I wanted to take my time to speak with clubs and their Head Coaches to better understand the role they envisioned for me and ensure that I can add real value in this next chapter.

"Having spoken in great detail with CEO Dennis te Kloese and Robin, I'm confident that Feyenoord is a place I can be happy and establish myself as a valued member of the team. Playing abroad is a whole new challenge for me - and one I'm ready to embrace.

"Honestly, I'm just excited to get started. To Feyenoord and particularly Robin and Dennis, thank you for your patience and professionalism as I navigated this process."

Van Persie claimed that Sterling chose Feyenoord to help reignite his passion for football. He said: "Raheem is a great player with a wonderful character. He has chosen the love of the game and hopes to rediscover the joy here in Holland. We are going to help him with that. He has already proven everything in his career. What he is looking for is trust, warmth and love again."

Sterling's contract runs until the end of this season, but there remains optimism that it could evolve into a more extended agreement.

"We hope Raheem enjoys himself so much that he chooses to stay here in Holland. We have to make the most of it," Van Persie confessed.

"The remarkable thing is that we didn't really know each other as people, even though we did play against each other at the start of his career. Five times, in fact, and I did win three of those matches – but don't let him know that."