Nike insists the latest metatarsal injury suffered by Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has nothing to do with the Total90 Laser boots he was wearing.
Gerard Hartmann, an elite athletes' physiotherapist who has worked for Nike as a consultant, insisted the type of injury sustained by Rooney is nothing new.
"It's not the footwear but the demands placed on athletes, be they footballers or whoever," he told the Daily Mail.
"The twisting, turning and pivoting movements make football a very intense game and it's like anything - if you keep bending a wire hanger then it will be OK 20 times and then snap the 21st time.
"The general public only became aware of metatarsal injuries after David Beckham broke one in the build-up to the 2002 World Cup.
"Suddenly we're aware of the metatarsal, but it's nothing new. Footballers have always had foot injuries but they are described as metatarsal injuries in a way that has made people believe it's a new phenomenon."