Kevin Phillips:?I'll keep going when I'm 40
Evergreen striker Kevin Phillips admits Ryan Giggs is inspiring him to join the 'Football at Forty' club next season.
The West Brom legend and former Aston Villa and Birmingham City star was expected to bring down the curtain on one of the most celebrated goalscoring careers of the Premier League era at the end of this season.
But with 39-year-old Phillips still banging them in for Crystal Palace in the Championship promotion race and Giggs defying nature with his Old Trafford exploits, 'Super Kev', who still lives in Staffordshire, admits he is having second thoughts.Tranmere Rovers defender Ian Morrison is already turning out at 40, although Phillips, who enters middle age this summer says: "With all due respect to him, the position me and Giggsy play makes it a little bit more difficult.
"At the back, with young legs around you, you can organise and direct. In our position, it's more challenging.
"Giggsy is phenomenal; the level he is playing at touching 40 is amazing. I don't know him. I've played against him and we've never spoken. But I see he has signed up for another year and that's made me think 'if he can do it, why not?' He is the greatest Premier League player of all time for me. And I've been privileged to play with and against some pretty good ones. It's the question everyone keeps asking me what seems like every day – will I be hanging up my boots? We'll see. It's all very well me talking about going on but first of all someone has got to offer you a contract. I don't really want to go down the divisions. I wouldn't want to drop below the Championship but let's see, shall we?
"If I can carry on then great. "There's media stuff as well, which interests me, and if management was offered then I would look at it, although I'm not sure about coaching."
Although Giggs has become a great champion of yoga, Phillips will be sticking to his own routines for staying young.
He added: "I'm a bit concerned if I start doing things differently now it will cause more harm than good. I'm a bit old-fashioned. I know what's good for me. And certainly the key is stretching and staying flexible."
By chief sports writer Martin Swain - Saturday's Express & Star includes a full two-page interview