New Fleetwood boss Joey Barton has intimated that his playing days are over because he wants to put all his concentration on management.
The 35-year-old is back in football after he was suspended for illegal betting in 2017 and he faced the media on Monday for the first time since it was announced in April that he would be succeeding John Sheridan.
Barton has played for Manchester City, Newcastle, QPR and Burnley in the Premier League but is not expecting to line up for his new club in League One.
“If I am serious about being the best possible version of myself in a coaching space, I think I have to put Joey Barton the player to bed,” he said.
“So the take-out for you is probably ‘the death of Joey Barton’ as a player – some people will argue that is a very good thing!” He added