Former West Brom and Aston Villa striker Kevin Phillips announces retirement - career in pictures

The Leicester City veteran has helped the Foxes win the Championship this term and will join the backroom staff at the King Power Stadium.

Phillips, 40, will be available for the finale against Doncaster on Saturday and is also set to play for Sunderland in Jody Craddock's Wolves testimonial on Monday.

He said: "After scoring the winner to get Crystal Palace promoted at the end of last season there were a few voices in the back of my head saying 'maybe I should retire now'. But I decided to continue for another season for the chance to play in the Premier League as a 40-year-old.

"I managed to do that earlier in this campaign - joining an exclusive group of three other players who have played in the Premier League as 40-year-olds - but now the time is right.

"After a lot of consideration and time spent talking with my family, the Leicester manager Nigel Pearson and my agent, I think the time has come. I turn 41 in July and I just feel now, with sore ankles and the way my body is, it's not going to get any easier.

"If I'm being honest, I wasn't tempted by one more go at the Premier League. Last year I kind of knew I was going to carry on but this year, no. I've been seriously thinking about it over the last four or five weeks and I think it's the right decision to make.

"There are other opportunities, looking forward now, that I want to pursue and that's kind of made my mind up as well."

Phillips won the European Golden Boot in 2000 during a successful six-year spell at Sunderland where he scored 134 goals in 239 games and earned eight England caps.

After a two-year spell at Southampton he joined Villa in 2005 and scored five goals in 27 games before moving to Albion and helping then to promotion in 2008.

He then moved to Birmingham, Blackpool and Crystal Palace – where he scored a penalty winner in the Eagles' 1-0 Championship play-off final victory against Watford last season.