Sutton forced to call time
05 Jul 2007 - 11:01:29
Aston Villa's veteran striker Chris Sutton has been forced to retire from professional football due to a serious eye injury.
The 34-year-old joined Villa last October, but played just nine times before suffering the injury against Manchester United just before Christmas.
Now Sutton has decided to call time to protect his eyesight in the long-term.
His agent, Tony McGill, confirmed: "I spoke to Chris on Wednesday and, given the eye problem, he has decided to retire.
"If Chris had declared that his eye was okay, he would probably have got another year at Villa.
"But he decided that he could not do himself justice with the eye injury - and more importantly he has taken into account the effects it might have on his future life.
"It is disappointing but it is not as though he is starting his career."
Sutton began life with Norwich City, before joining Blackburn Rovers and helping the club win the Premier League title in 1994-95.
In the summer of 1999 he moved to Chelsea, before going on to link up with Celtic a year later. He spent nine months with Birmingham City before heading to Villa Park in October 2006.