Former Aston Villa Captain and Danish International Martin Laursen has been forced to walk away from the game after admitting that his latest December knee injury suffered at West Ham proved too difficult to overcome.

Via DailyMail 

‘I’m retiring from football. I can’t recover from my injury – so I’ve got to retire. I’ve spent a while making up my mind, thinking about things. Deciding whether I wanted to go ahead with an operation and see if I could come back or whether I should retire.

‘It would have been a big and difficult operation. At this point, I think it’s better for my health and future life to say: ‘That’s it.’ ‘It’s so strange, so wierd to be sitting here, making an announcement that I’m not going to be playing any more. Five months ago, I was flying.

‘I was in the shape of my life, playing every game and felt so well, phyiscally. Really, I was on top of my game. Now, I’m sitting here, not being able to play. I’m really sad. I’ve had time to think about it. Right now, I feel better. I can honestly say: ‘That’s life.’ And it has to go on for me as well.’

Laursen, capped 53 times by his country, played for 45 minutes during Villa’s pre-season tour in 2005. Those matches in Holland and Germany were O’Neill’s first in charge at Villa.

The defender, appearing for the first time since his year-long lay-off, came through one-half of a game against Nijmegen – and thrived under the Irishman’s tutorship. He became an ever-present and was spared some of the more physical duties due to the condition of his knees.

It’s strange. Football has been my life. I’ve been a professional since 1997. I’ve not done anything else. For the past two years I’ve been playing the football of my life for Villa and that’s the sad and frustrating thing about it.

‘But I’m looking at all the good things that have happened. Especially after my big injury. I’m almost 32, not 22 and you have to stop at some point. You can’t keep playing football forever.’

Image via Independent