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By Agence France Presse

2 minute read

27 Aug 2019

09:37 am

Strinic quits AC Milan after one season blighted by heart scare

Croatian international defender Ivan Strinic has left AC Milan by mutual consent after just one season during which he never played after being diagnosed with a heart condition, the Italian club announced on Monday.

Ivan Strinic of Croatia reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2018 final between France and Croatia in Moscow, Russia, 15 July 2018. (RESTRICTIONS APPLY: Editorial Use Only, not used in association with any commercial entity – Images must not be used in any form of alert service or push service of any kind including via mobile alert services, downloads to mobile devices or MMS messaging – Images must appear as still images and must not emulate match action video footage – No alteration is made to, and no text or image is superimposed over, any published image which: (a) intentionally obscures or removes a sponsor identification image; or (b) adds or overlays the commercial identification of any third party which is not officially associated with the FIFA World Cup) EPA-EFE/FACUNDO ARRIZABALAGA EDITORIAL USE ONLY

The 32-year-old left-back — a key member of the Croatian team that reached the World Cup final in 2018 — joined Milan from Sampdoria just after the tournament on a two-year deal.

But he failed to make any appearances for the seven-time European champions after being diagnosed with early signs of hypertrophy, a thickening of the heart muscle, shortly after his arrival.

“AC Milan announces the termination by mutual consent of the contract with the defender Ivan Strinic,” the Serie A team said in a statement.

“The club wishes the footballer every success in his future career.”

The defender has been linked with a possible move to Serie A rivals SPAL or Parma.

Strinic, who has 49 caps, played six of Croatia’s seven World Cup games in Russia as they reached final where they lost 4-2 to France.

He started his career with Hadjuk Split in his native Croatia, and also played in France and Ukraine before joining Serie A side Napoli in 2015, and Sampdoria in 2017 and AC Milan in 2018.

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