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Aurtis Whitley and Atiba CharlesDiscarded Trinidad and Tobago World Cup midfielder Aurtis Whitley has rejoined former club San Juan Jabloteh for the upcoming 2010 season.

Whitley who left Jabloteh back in 2007 to join rivals W Connection never settled in at the Savonnetta Boys under coach Stuart Charles Fevrier. In 2009 the 2006 World Cup midfielder joined United Petrotrin and again saw little playing time under Brazilian coach Marcos Tinoco.

“Everybody knows he’s got talent,” said returning Jabloteh head coach Terry Fenwick. “However he just never got back to himself following the World Cup in Germany.”

Fenwick confirmed that the San Juan club has signed Whitley on a short term contract adding, “We’ve signed him on a short term contract and on reasonable terms. When we get what we want, he will get closer to what he wants.”

Whitley who previously played 11 years at the club is already training with the 2009 Digicel Pro League runners-up.

Fenwick further explained that Jabloteh has signed the 32 year old with the intention of resurrecting the player’s career.

“I’m going to try and resurrect his career,” said Fenwick. “He’s not really a gamble, because we’ve got a lot of good players around him. He knows what Jabloteh stands for and he knows what Terry Fenwick is about and we are going to try rebuild his passion for the game as he did in the past.

“I recognize the tremendous talent in Whitley, so I’ve always kept my eye on him. He was the best player locally until the World Cup 2006 and it was sad to see lose himself since then. This is a player that is two years younger than Trent Noel (Joe Public) so we are not going to give up on him.

“It’s an opportunity for him now. He proved himself in the past. His World Cup campaign in 2006 was excellent and that was during his time at Jabloteh,” ended Fenwick.

Whitley eager to return to top form.

Former Trinidad and Tobago international midfielder Aurtis Whitley is eager to return to the player that earned him a place in the Soca Warriors 2006 World Cup team in Germany.

Whitley re-joined former club San Juan Jabloteh ahead of the 2010 season on a short-term contract under the influence of coach Terry Fenwick and believes that he can give it his best shot.

“I’m much fitter now, than in the previous years,” Whitley told www.ttproleague.com.

The 32 year old admits that his last three seasons weren’t impressive highlighting injuries as deterrence.

Whitley said he has recovered from his most recent knee injury which saw him feature little for United Petrortin last season.

“I’ve done a lot of rehabilitation on my knee injury sustained last season. And I’ve also been working on my fitness because I’m aware that there are a lot of catching up to do because I want to return to top form this season,” said the midfielder.

Whitley who played for Jabloteh between 1998-2007, joined rival club W Connection in September of 2007 after Fenwick terminated his contract because of indiscipline. Whitley never settled himself at Connection and in 2009 joined United Petrotrin but again the former T&T international featured little.

“I’m back with Jabloteh now,” he continued. “This is the club that I performed best with [and made the World Cup squad], so my chances are great in getting back to the level I want.”

Fenwick who is known for his no nonsense approach said that it’s an opportunity for Whitley to restore himself.

“I know what to expect from Fenwick and at Jabloteh,” added Whitley. “We have a great team at Jabloteh, so its just about fitting in.”

Whitley says he understands that Jabloteh has changed a lot since 2007 with a number of players such as Ataullah Guerra, Jason Marcano and Marvin Oliver at the helm of things and will do his best to fit in.