Croatia national team defender Ivan Strinić will have to temporarily put his football career on hold.
Shocking news out of Italy this evening as Croatian representative and AC Milan’s new left-back Ivan Strinić has been forced to put his career on hold due to heart problems. Strinić must temporarily take a break from playing until further tests are carried out, then a final decision will be made, reports Goal.hr on August 18, 2018.
All footballers in the Serie A are obliged to undergo a routine check every six months. Strinić's check-up revealed an onset of hypertrophy of the heart muscle, which requires that further and more detailed tests be carried out.
"AC Milan informs that during routine medical tests, carried out on all professional athletes in Italy, it was found that Ivan Strinić suffers from the beginnings of hypertrophy in the cardiac muscle which will need further tests following a rest period. For this reason, the player will have to temporarily suspend competitive sports activity until the exams are completed," the club confirmed on their official website.
"There is no reason to worry, there is nothing out of the ordinary. I will rest for about 10-days, repeat my tests, but the doctors believe that I should be ready to play in no more than a month,” Ivan Strinić said and added:
"Because of all that is happening in the world of football, doctors are very careful and therefore they may have recommended greater precautions than what is really needed. Fortunately, the rest will do me good and should cure the injury to my tendon.”
Strinić will not have any special therapy but has been advised to rest and do some light training to keep his muscles in tone.
"There was a lot of noise around the whole story, but I'm sure I will still play football at the highest level and that there is no retirement yet," Ivan concluded.
Ivan Strinić signed with AC Milan this summer as a free player from Sampdoria. Milan officially presented Strinić on August 10.
