Houllier: Jari had to go

Last updated : 03 May 2003 By Gary Purvis
"I let Jari Litmanen go because we had Milan," he admitted. "When I saw he had come back for pre-season a different player I was ready to let Jari go.

"This was not to question Jari's quality, but he was injured too often for my tastes, and at over 30 I prefer to give younger players the chance.

"No-one knew him at the start of this season, only in a name. He's now scored 11 goals, not a single one has been a penalty, and he's got eight or nine assists.

"He is learning and the good thing is he looks fresh. The fact he didn't take part in too many games could be an asset for us at the end."