Hibernia striker Dwight Gayle says his “body is breaking down” and intends to retire as a player at the end of the season.
The former Crystal Palace and Newcastle United striker signed a season-long deal at Easter Road in the summer and has scored two goals in nine appearances.
Gayle scored in last weekend’s 3-1 win over Ross County but is frustrated at not being able to contribute to the team as he would like.
“Yes, I have started to express my feelings,” said the 35-year-old player, who has already obtained a Uefa B coaching license.
“My body is starting to break down a bit and there is a possibility that I can pack it.
“It’s just a lot of things – 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.
“I’ve always wanted to play, do what I can to help the team, and when you feel like you can’t do that, then that’s a tough time.
“I would love to play forever, but with injuries and things like that, your body starts to take things that maybe you need to think about.
“It’s not just muscle injuries, there are other things that can stop you later in life, maybe playing in the park with your kids and things like that. These are things I need to focus on.”
Gayle scored two goals from the Crystal Palace bench to complete a good game against Liverpool and cost Brendan Rodgers’ team the Premier League title in the 2013-14 season.
He joined Newcastle in the summer of 2016 in a £10m deal and has also played for Peterborough United, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion.
