Stewart Downing has confirmed retirement is his likely next move after his release by Rovers.

The Lancashire Telegraph revealed Downing was considering whether to continue playing or move into coaching after his release by Rovers which ended with a spell working with the Under-23s.

Downing has now said that hanging up his boots is his most likely move after a season in which he made just two starts for Rovers following a return in November.

That came after a more productive one-year spell in 2019/20 saw him make 43 appearances after signing as a free agent following his departure from Middlesbrough.

Capped 35 times by his country, Downing has enjoyed a distinguished career that has seen him clock up 725 appearances. More than 400 of those have been with his boyhood club Middlesbrough, also representing Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa, as well as winning 35 caps for England.

But he admits that now might be the time to pursue other avenues.

“The likelihood is I’ll probably retire,” he said.

“My contract has ended at Blackburn. I had a good few years there, I wasn’t involved as much last season.

“I re-signed in November, so I was getting up to speed and by the time I did, the season had petered out.

“After last season because I wasn’t involved in the first three or four months, I tried to get my head around if this could be it.

“But I went back to Blackburn for another six or seven months and then I thought, ‘I feel good, I feel fit’.

Downing made his final appearance for the club as a substitute in the final day win over Birmingham City at Ewood Park. That was his game number 62 for Rovers where he was runner-up in the club’s player of the season vote for 2019/20.

Turning 37 in July, Downing has expressed an interest in staying in the game and has already started the process of attaining his coaching qualification.

That included a spell working with the Rovers Academy during last summer when he was without a club and he assisted Under-23s boss Billy Barr in their final Premier League 2 matches of the season against Chelsea.

Downing is understood to be keen on a move into coaching, and it remains to be seen whether a position will be available within the Rovers ranks for him to move into.

He was said to have given consideration to playing on should the right offer come along, having previously had interest from Rangers and MLS clubs.

But speaking to TalkSport, Downing says his mind is almost made up having struggled for game-time at Rovers.

He added: “There comes a time when you have to make a decision. You’ve got to get enjoyment from football and if you’re not playing, that’s a big thing for me.

“I wasn’t involved as much as I would have liked last season.

“If that’s the way it’s going to be going forward, I’ll look at something new and call it a day because it’s about playing and being involved on the Saturday after training all week.

“I was disappointed when I didn’t play last season, which is life, you get on with it. I’ve got a decision to make in the next couple of weeks, but I’ll probably retire.”