Julian Speroni has no plans to retire after ending 15-year Crystal Palace spell
Julian Speroni has no plans to retire when his contract with Crystal Palace expires this summer.
Speroni has been at Selhurst Park for 15 years, but Sunday’s match at home to Bournemouth will be his last for the Eagles.
The 39-year-old’s contract is up in the summer and, with it not being renewed, he is leaving Crystal Palace.
However, the goalkeeper currently has no plans to retire and will look to sign for a new club in the summer.
“I mean people talk to me like I am already retired and I am not,” said Speroni. “I am 39 and I want to carry on playing. I feel fit, I feel strong and I want to carry on. I very much feel like a player.
“Coaching in the future? Eventually yes. It is something that I wouldn’t discount, but at the moment I very much feel like a player.
“I don’t know [how many more years I can play]. At my age I take it year by year. I always compare myself with other lads in training and when I see that I go for training and I am not up to standards, than I’ll step aside.
“At the moment that is not the case. I feel really good, I feel fit so I can’t really put a time on it.
“You have to be is realistic. So what I do at the end of every season is I reassess how I feel and if I feel that I am up to the standard then I carry on playing.
"If next season I feel that is not the case anymore then I will step aside.”
Crystal Palace were today finalising plans on how they would honour Speroni at Sunday’s match against Bournemouth as he brings to an end 15 years of service for the club.
