Robin van Persie has been permitted by Arsenal to visit a Serbian doctor who has been known to use fluids from placentas to heal her patients, although the Arsenal medical department have serious misgivings over her credentials and whether she will have any effect on his ruptured ankle ligaments.

In one of the most extraordinary attempts by a footballer to recover from injury, Van Persie travelled to Belgrade yesterday to visit the clinic of Dr Marijana Kovacevic who has built a reputation among European footballers for being something of a miracle healer. She uses massage and electrolysis to treat injuries and has worked with many players from Serbia's national team

The Dutch international sought Arsenal's permission to visit Dr Kovacevic after he was recommended to her by his Netherlands' team-mate Orlando Engelaar who suffered from a similar injury earlier in the season. In consultation with Colin Lewin, Arsenal's head physiotherapist, and club doctor Gary O'Driscoll, Van Persie was allowed to visit Belgrade but he is expected back in London by the end of the week.

Last night, Marko Pantelic, the Serbia international striker who plays for Ajax in the Netherlands revealed that he had been treated by Dr Kovacevic and had recommended her to his team-mates. Pantelic said: “I know that a lot of players, among them some of Premier League players, come to Marijana Kovacevic for treatment, especially those from Serbian national team.

“I have a problem with a muscle in my leg and I visited her a couple of days ago. I expect the recovery to last less then was first thought. I have been going to her for the last seven years,” he said.

“As for Robin, I strongly recommend him to come and if he follows her instructions — and this is type of injury she can treat — he will be back playing five or six times quicker than expected. I don't know a great deal about her methods but as far as I can tell you she treats muscle, or ligaments, with electronic signals and with some placenta. She enters under the skin and treats wounded tissue.”

The injury to Van Persie, sustained in a challenge with Italy's Giorgio Chiellini on Saturday night, means that Arsenal have only one fit centre-forward in Eduardo Da Silva for Saturday's game against Sunderland. The club said they expected Van Persie to be out for six weeks unless, Dr Kovacevic can work her magic.

Van Persie has admitted that Dr Kovacevic had some unorthodox working practices.

Van Persie said “She is vague about her methods but I know she massages you using fluid from a placenta. I am going to try. It cannot hurt and, if it helps, it helps. A scan showed that my ankle ligament was almost completely torn off where Chiellini caught me but it was not intentional. I was lucky, it could be worse.”