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Mikkel Hansen: Leader of the Danish national team
Photo: MAJA HITIJ / Getty Images
The Danish world-class handball player Mikkel Hansen has to take a month-long break due to complications after a knee operation.
As his club Paris Saint-Germain announced, the 34-year-old suffered a pulmonary embolism and phlebitis immediately after the operation.
The three-time world handball player is now out of danger, "but will no longer be able to play for the club from the capital until the end of the season," said the French champion's website.
This will probably mean that PSG will no longer play, and Hansen will return to his Danish homeland to join Aalborg Håndbold in the summer.
The world champion and Olympic champion must now be treated with anticoagulant drugs, PSG said.
The club expects a break of four to six months.
As a result, the backcourt player is missing for his club in the playoff round of the Champions League against Elverum HB from Norway and then in a possible quarter-final against the German record champions THW Kiel.
There was initially no statement from Hansen or his advisor.
Denmark national team coach Nikolaj Jacobsen told Danish media he had spoken to Hansen but declined to comment further.
Jan Larsen, director of Hansen's future club from Aalborg, told TV 2 Sport from Denmark that the handball star is doing well again.
But there was "great fear" for him.
Hansen has had several problems with his right knee, on which he was operated on for a cartilage problem and was initially out for six weeks.
It was a routine operation and planned well in advance.
jan/dpa
