Jari Litmanen's debut for Fulham is on hold because of a problem with the insoles of his football boots.

The 37-year-old has been forced to return to his homeland to have new insoles made for his boots to cure a muscle strain.

Manager Roy Hodgson reported: "Jari has had Achilles and ankle operations and needs these insoles to correct certain movement in his ankles which, if it doesn't get corrected, brings about muscle strains.

"That's exactly what has happened - he has got a strain on the inside of his thigh that has come about because the new insoles that he thought were going to work didn't.

"He has to go back to Finland to have that fixed up. The guy who does it all over there knows all about the background to all his operations.''