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A former Newcastle United striker is planning to retire at the end of the season.
Former Newcastle United star Dwight Gayle has revealed he is planning to retire at the end of the season.
The striker was quickly identified as a key signing by former Magpies boss Rafa Benitez as he aimed to guide United back into the Premier League at the first attempt after they suffered relegation into the Championship in 2016. A reported £12m offer was enough to tempt Crystal Palace into selling Gayle and the London-born frontman went on to score 23 goals in 32 league appearances during his first season at St James Park as Benitez’s side were crowned winners of the Championship on the final day of the season.
Gayle famously had a cheeky dig at Tyne-Wear derby rivals Sunderland after scoring in the season-ending 3-0 home win against Barnsley as he produced a ‘going up, going down’ celebration as the Magpies promotion into the top flight coincided with the Black Cats relegation into the Championship. The striker went on to score six goals in 35 appearances during Newcastle’s first season back in the top flight but was then allowed to join West Bromwich Albion on a season-long loan agreement that saw Solomon Rondon move in the opposite direction.
Gayle remained something of a bit-part player at Newcastle upon his return to Tyneside and left the club at the end of the 2022/23 season before joining Stoke City. A short stint with Derby County preceded a somewhat surprise move to Scottish Premiership club Hibernian during the summer and Gayle has gone on to score two goals and provide two assists in nine appearances for the Easter Road outfit. However, the veteran striker has now revealed he is making plans for the end of his playing career after suffering several injuries in recent weeks.
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Speaking to BBC Sport, he said: "Yes, I've started to express my feelings. My body's starting to break down a bit and it's likely that I might pack it in. It's just a whole heap 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 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 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."
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