Source: Daily_Mail
Viduka close to calling it quits as former Leeds striker rejects Melbourne
Mark Viduka appears to have all but confirmed his retirement from football after rejecting an offer from Melbourne Heart to play for the new A-League franchise next season.The former Australia captain has been out of the game for the last nine months since leaving Newcastle and had spoken with Heart officials with regards to a possible return with his hometown side. Aussie rules: Australia ace Mark Viduka is set to call an end to his playing daysHowever, Heart chief executive Scott Munn admitted the 34-year-old has now made it clear he has no desire to return to the game and, while he has not officially announced his retirement, it appears unlikely Viduka will play again. Melbourne Victory play down chances of signing ex-Toon star Viduka Ex-Newcastle striker Mark Viduka set to return home to native AustraliaALL THE LATEST FOOTBALL STATS AND FACTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD 'We spoke to him about playing, but he doesn't want to,' Heart chief executive Scott Munn said in the Herald Sun. 'We didn't even get to a negotiation stage with him because we had only discussed the possibility.'Munn did, however, suggest they would welcome Viduka being involved with theclub in a non-playing role. Glory days: Viduka, in his scoring pomp at Leeds, enjoyed a fine spell in the UK'He said he's happy to keep chatting about other things, but he made itquite clear he is not interested in playing. He has his head in adifferent space now. 'He's decided he doesn't want to play and we respect that decision, so it's futile to be fuelling speculation if he's not going to be involved.'Viduka began his career in the National Soccer League with Melbourne Knights before moving to Europe in 1995 where he went on to enjoy spells with Dinamo Zagreb, Celtic, Leeds and Middlesbrough. Melbourne Victory play down chances of signing ex-Toon star Viduka Ex-Newcastle striker Mark Viduka set to return home to native AustraliaALL THE LATEST FOOTBALL STATS AND FACTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD