De Zeeuw said: "The injury is annoying and painful but not something which in the long term will damage me so I am happy to carry on.
"It's the second toe and I can't roll my foot totally without pain but I don't know how I've done it - the toe was up like a little balloon the other week.
"What pleased me as a defender against Villa was the fact that we didn't concede - when you have as much pressure as we did and didn't score it's so easy for the opposition to counter and grab a goal at the other end.
"Last season we thrived on clean sheets and this is the target this time around."
Meanwhile the big defender had nothing but praise for his fellow countryman Denny Landzaat, and expects the midfielder to make an impact on the Premiership soon.
De Zeeuw added: "Denny played the full 90 minutes for Holland last Wednesday and maybe the gaffer thought it was just too much to start him in our game too.
"With Josip being fit, he obviously decided to make the change. But Denny is enjoying it here, although I'm sure he would have loved to have started the Villa game, as he is looking sharp.
"What people have to realise is the game is a little bit different in England. In Holland, you get much more time on the ball, especially in midfield – you can turn on the ball and look around you for a pass.
"Here it is 100mph and you have to get used to the pace of the games. But Denny isn't the sort of person to get downhearted. He has a positive attitude and he always aims to do better."