Tottenham defender Ledley King is close to announcing his retirement from football after failing to recover sufficiently in order to be fit for the start of the new season, according to the Tottenham news website.
The captain of the club has been suffering from chronic knee problems for the last couple of seasons, but he has been able to carry on playing due to the fact that he has not been training with the first team. Former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has revealed that Ledley King has not been able to train for the last couple of seasons due to the fact that his knee swells beyond control if he does so.
He has praised the Ledley King for being able to play at the top level with this handicap. However, the numerous troubles within the knee seem to have taken its toll on the 31 year old, who has not played a lot of football in the last few months. He could be set to bring an end to his illustrious 13 year career, which has seen him lift some trophies with Tottenham and also be one of the regular players for the England national team alongside Steven Gerrard. His contract was scheduled to run out at the end of this season.
“I had a really good start to last season and was pleased to play as many games as I did. A knock in training set me back towards the end but I opted to carry on playing rather than take the time out to have the knee seen to. Unfortunately, that meant that I didn’t play the last few games at the standard I would have liked. I’ve been discussing things with the club and my contract expires this summer. I shall take a view with them pre-season on my future,” King said.