Former Newcastle man considering retirement after becoming free agent - 'They don't want me'
Former Newcastle United midfielder Jeff Hendrick looks set to call it a day.
Former Newcastle United midfielder Jeff Hendrick looks set to call time on his playing career having failed to find a new club this summer.
Hendrick made 27 appearances for the Magpies across all competitions between 2020 and 2022, registering three goals and an assist before a series of loans to QPR, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday. The 79-time Republic of Ireland international finally departed St. James’ Park permanently in the summer of 2024, joining Derby County on a free transfer. However, he once again found himself as a free agent at the end of the 2024/25 campaign, having failed to make a single appearance for the Rams - the club he started his professional career with back in 2009.
Jeff Hendrick admits football career may be over
Hendrick - who enjoyed a 139-game spell at Burnley before joining Newcastle - turns 34 in January and has now spoken publicly on his future, admitting it might be the right time to hang up his boots and focus on time with his family.
"I'm still not too old, [but] I think I’m done,” he told Virgin Media Sport (via Burnley Express). "I made the decision with the teams that have been interested with me. They didn't suit me or my family life and I'm at the age where you want something that's a bit exciting to carry on enjoying playing, but that didn't come up at the moment so I'm just spending more time with my kids.
"I lived the dream for so long, but I missed out on a lot of things as well, but for me, you have to weigh up both options and see what is best suited for me and my family life.”
Hendrick also admitted he’s struggled to find a club suited to the level he needs to play at in this stage of his career. He added: "Unfortunately, where I'm living, there are a lot of top teams in the Premier League who are in my vicinity, and they don't want me."
What did Jeff Hendrick achieve during his career?
Should he retire, Hendrick will call it quits with 449 senior club appearances to his name across the top two divisions of English football, scoring 44 goals in that time.
Though he never lifted a major trophy, he did win three Goal of the Season awards - one with Derby County and two with Burnley - and was named the Rams’ Young Player of the Year in 2011/12. Newcastle finished 12th and 11th in the Premier League during his two seasons at the club, while also reaching the 2020/21 EFL Cup quarter-final. Only one of his appearances for the club came under Eddie Howe in the form of a 10-minute cameo in a 4-0 defeat at home to Manchester City in December 2021.
At international level, his 79 caps leave him 16th all-time for the Republic of Ireland, sandwiched between former Everton and Man City centre-back Richard Dunne (80) and title-winning ex-Liverpool winger Ray Houghton.
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