Former Liverpool winger Stewart Downing has revealed that he will 'probably retire' after leaving Championship side Blackburn Rovers.
One of Sir Kenny Dalglish’s most expensive summer signings at £20 million, Downing joined the Reds in the summer of 2011.
But two years after arriving at Anfield, Downing completed a £6million switch to West Ham United, making just 91 appearances for Liverpool.
The former England international then returned to boyhood club Middlesbrough after just two years with the Hammers.
Following a four-year stint at the Riverside, Downing joined Blackburn in the summer of 2019, and has turned out 62 times for Tony Mowbray’s side.
But the 36-year-old has now admitted he will 'probably' hang up his boots when his Rovers deal expires next month.
“The likelihood is I’ll probably retire,” he told talkSPORT. “My contract has ended at Blackburn. I had a good few years there, I wasn’t involved as much last season.
“I re-signed in November, so I was getting up to speed and by the time I did, the season had petered out. After last season because I wasn’t involved in the first three or four months, I tried to get my head around if this could be it.
“But I went back to Blackburn for another six or seven months and then I thought, ‘I feel good, I feel fit’.
“There comes a time when you have to make a decision. You’ve got to get enjoyment from football and if you’re not playing, that’s a big thing for me.
“I wasn’t involved as much as I would have liked last season.
“If that’s the way it’s going to be going forward, I’ll look at something new and call it a day because it’s about playing and being involved on the Saturday after training all week.
“I was disappointed when I didn’t play last season, which is life, you get on with it. I’ve got a decision to make in the next couple of weeks, but I’ll probably retire.”
