Former Nottingham Forest defender Armand Traore has spoken about the difficulties of being without a club - particularly as the impact of the coronavirus crisis is felt.
The 30-year-old, who spent two years at the City Ground from 2016 to 2018, says his mental health suffered during lockdown and he contemplated retiring.
Traore has been a free agent since January, when he was released by Cardiff City, where he had a spell on loan during his time with the Reds.
And while he has kept himself fit, he says being left in limbo has left him feeling “useless” and “empty”.
For your latest Forest news sign up to our newsletter with your email in the box at the top of the page - or click here
“I started to be proactive and think about, potentially, having to stop, which would be a shame because I’m extremely fit. I’m fitter than I was before,” the former Arsenal man told talkSPORT.
“It’s just a crazy time. I’m in limbo.
“I have had times where I’ve been close to being really, really down.
“You wake up in this situation and you feel like you’re useless. You feel empty.
“You think, ‘am I ever going to play again’. What am I going to do? I did not prepare for this.
“Everything came so quick.
“It’s difficult but there’s nothing much you can do, just try to power through.
“It would be a shame for me if I have to stop, because I do believe I can help teams with my experience.
“I’d love to help young players as well, because I suffered terribly with the mental side of the game when I was young - I was not prepared.”
Traore believes he still has something to offer in professional football, but knows money is tight for a lot of teams in the current climate.
“We were talking to clubs before the lockdown and they were coming back saying things like, ‘at the moment, we’re allright, but we will definitely look at it in the summer’,” he said.
“Then the lockdown happened and clubs are probably going to have to change the way they sign players. They’re talking about salary caps and a lot of things.
“During lockdown, I started to be proactive about potentially having to hang up the boots, because I cannot just keep staying fit in the hope that somebody signs me. I’ve not played for a while.
“But I just keep training.
“I believe it’s extremely important when you’re in that situation to get out there.
“I’ve done it, during the lockdown, where I just sat at home for three weeks - and that’s not good for mental health; definitely not. You just sit in a room worrying about stuff.
“When I train, it’s good for me. It’s good for my mental health and it keeps me fit, so if there’s anything in the pipeline then I’ll be fit.”
