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Andros Townsend shares retirement plan amid lengthy Everton injury lay-off
Everton winger Andros Townsend has shared his retirement plans for when the 31-year-old calls time on his playing career.
The attacker is currently sidelined with a cruciate ligament injury, with the spell off the pitch allowing him to think about his future.
Townsend is currently working towards his UEFA A Licence, as well as offering his services as a pundit.
Discussing life after football, Townsend told FC Business Magazine: “When you hit 28 or 29 years old, it is probably something that is on your mind almost every day. It is something I have been planning for the last two or three years.
“I have dabbled in the football media as well to get experience there. Consequently when that day comes when I do retire, it won’t be a culture shock.
“It won’t be a case of, ‘What am I going to do for the rest of my life now?’ Hopefully I will be at the stage where I have experience in the media, I’ve got experience in coaching and I’ve got my coaching badges, so it will be a case of which path do I want to take?”
Wise decision
Townsend has certainly had plenty of time to think about what comes next having been injured for over a year now, with Everton boss Sean Dyche recently claiming the Englishman is “not close” to being available for selection.
The winger has, however, taken the positives from the unfortunate ACL injury to consider his future, which looks certain to remain in football, either in a coaching or pundit capacity.
Many footballers have struggled to deal with life after their playing career, so it’s definitely been a smart move from Townsend to think about the big decision he must face in the near future.
Hopefully though there are still plenty of years on the pitch for the talented winger, who has scored seven goals for the Toffees since joining from Crystal Palace on a free transfer in July 2021.
But with his Everton contract expiring this summer, that future looks increasingly likely to be away from Goodison Park if he cannot recover from his lengthy injury quickly.