Liverpool's vice-captain Jamie Carragher has admitted his career could be over in a year's time.
Carragher has made 676 appearances for Liverpool since coming through the youth ranks and making his debut 14 years ago.
He has been a regular in the Reds defence since coming on as a substitute in Liverpool's League Cup game against Middlesbrough in 1997, but the 33-year-old concedes his long and glittering career may be nearing its end.
"You want to try to get as much out of your career and play as long as possible.
"The time will come in the next 12, 18 months, maybe two years.
"That won't be down to myself. It will be down to the people around me, the staff, the manager. They will decide."
Carragher's full-blooded displays at the heart of the Liverpool defence have earned him many plaudits during his career and his leadership skills have seen him touted as a future Reds boss.
The defender admits he would love to go in to coaching after hanging up his boots.
"Do I want to go in to coaching or management? Yes, I think so," Carragher said.
"I've taken my first steps to coaching and the B licence.
"We all love the game, you want to stay involved in the game."
Carragher made morning headlines when he claimed that England are "cheating" by employing a foreign coach as their national manager.
The defender insisted this evening that his claim should not be viewed as an attack on England boss Fabio Capello, but more of a plea for placing trust in home-grown coaches, and he even claimed that every part of the national football set-up should be English.
"It's nothing against Capello or anybody who comes in in the future," Carragher added.
"It's nothing against foreign players or coaches. I just think that's what international football should be about.
"For me we shouldn't have a foreign member of staff. The best doctor in the country should be the England doctor or the bus driver. That's what international football is.
"If we're not up to it in certain areas we have to improve."
Carragher also thinks the presence of foreigners is impeding the development of young English players.
The defender has hit out at the Premier League for not protecting the home-grown youngsters coming through the ranks.
"Everyone wants to play in the Premier League now. Players at our academy don't get a chance," he said.
"Our academies are not just full of local players. They are full of foreign players too.
"That's a bit of a problem for me.
"I think no foreign players should leave their country until 18 or maybe 21 and I think I think the academies should be for local players.
Former England and Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes claimed recently that the England camp had been divided into Manchester United and Liverpool cliques during his time on the international scene.
Carragher, who was a member of the squad at the same time as the retired Red Devils player, agreed, saying: "I saw that.
"I don't think it was Man United and Liverpool. It was more Man United and the rest.
"They'd all grown up together those Man United players. They had been in youth teams together. They would always sit together at meal times.
"It was just like the five best mates together.
"They'd all come through together. It was a tight-knit thing. They were best mates. They had a great youth team. It was more of a case of that.
"There were that many of them. They had such a good team. They probably had seven or eight in the squad at the same time.
"It was probably difficult for anyone to break into that little group and get to know them."
This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.
Source: ESPN Star
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