Hibernian striker Dwight Gayle reckons this season will be his last in professional football.
The former Crystal Palace and Newcastle United star, who had a market value exceeding £10million back in 2016, joined the Easter Road club on a season-long contract this summer.
Since his arrival, the 35-year-old has netted two goals in nine matches. He has also obtained his UEFA B coaching licence as he prepares for life away from playing.
“Yes, I’ve started to express my feelings,” the one-time EFL icon said on Friday. “My body’s starting to break down a bit and it’s likely that I might pack it in to be fair.
“It’s just a whole heap of things really, you’re not able to generate the same speed and power as other people. From game to game it’s hard to recover as quickly as before.
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“I’ve always wanted to play, do what I can to help out the team and when you feel like you’re not really able to do that, then that’s sort of a difficult time.
“I’d love to play it continuously forever, but with injuries and stuff like that, your body starts to pick up stuff that you probably need to think about.
“It’s not just muscle injuries, other things as well that could prevent you in later life, maybe playing in the garden with your kids and stuff like that. These are things I need to take into consideration.
“I’ve been thinking like this in terms of the enjoyment for the last two years now, where before each game you’re just thinking that this is potentially one of your last ones, so to try and enjoy it for what you can,” he said.
“At the moment I’m just focused on helping the team in whichever way I can and trying to get out there to help them, so I’ll always be available."
