Jari Litmanen's return on hold after mild heart symptoms

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Footballer Jari Litmanen (Fulham FC and Finland) suffered from mild heart symptoms last week. He had complained to doctors at the West London club of minor palpitations during training early last week.
      Helsingin Sanomat was informed by the Fulham officials that Litmanen, who had been sent home to Finland to rest after being examined by a cardiologist, would be returning to London and resuming training at the beginning of this week.
      Litmanen’s family has stayed behind here in Finland, and the player is living in a hotel in London, so there was no real sense in his kicking his heels there while unable to train.
     
The rest was prescribed as a precautionary measure, after the palpitations - or a form of arrhythmia - surfaced on the training ground.
      Such problems are not uncommon among sportsmen who are under a good deal of physical strain, as Litmanen has been while attempting to get himself match-fit.
      Litmanen, 37, is known as a dedicated and pedantic trainer at the best of times, and at present he has had to work even harder after a lengthy layoff following an achilles tendon injury.
     
Litmanen moved on a free transfer to the troubled London club, who are in the relegation zone in the English Premiership, at the end of January. There he met up with the former Finland international goalkeeper Antti Niemi and a member of the current squad in defender Toni Kallio, and of course with the club’s new manager Roy Hodgson, who was Finland’s head coach during the Euro 2008 campaign. Hodgson took up the managerial job at Craven Cottage at the end of December 2007.
     
Litmanen has yet to play for his new club, and was naturally not present when Fulham lost 1-0 at home to West Ham United on Saturday.
      He did turn out for Finland in a friendly against Greece in Cyprus earlier this month, scoring Finland’s only goal in a 2-1 defeat to the 2004 European Champions. It was his 29th goal in 111 appearances in a Finnish shirt.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Jari Litmanen could be signed by Fulham for remainder of Premiership season (23.1.2008)

Links:
  Jari Litmanen (Wikipedia)

Helsingin Sanomat