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Shane Long contemplating retirement this summer

Long is coming to the end of his second spell at Reading
Long is coming to the end of his second spell at Reading

Shane Long has admitted that he is contemplating bringing the curtain down on his career.

The 88-time Republic of Ireland cap was part of the Reading squad which was relegated from the English Championship this season and with the 36-year-old's contract due to expire at the end of next month, the ex-West Brom, Hull and Southampton forward suggested that he would weigh up the possibility of retirement.

In comments to BBC Radio Berkshire, Long said: "I'm going to speak to my family but in my head, I think enough is enough.

"I’m 37 next January. We’ll see. I’m going to spend time with my family over the summer and weigh up the pros and cons after that. I feel good, my body does feel good, but I suppose the older you get the more it’s about recovery and getting your body going again.

"When you’re playing Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday-Tuesday it takes its toll. I don’t want to come back for one more year and just be injured. I’ll see how I feel in the summer."

The Tipperary native's final Ireland cap to date came against Qatar in March 2021.

He scored 17 goals for the Boys in Green, including a famous winner against then-world champions Germany which contributed to qualification for Euro 2016.

Earlier this year, Long claimed he knew his Ireland career was drawing to a close when he was asked to unwittingly pass on his No 9 jersey to Adam Idah.

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