Player released by Newcastle United in summer now considering retirement at 31

In football, goalkeepers tend to have longer careers than their outfield counterparts, although there are obvious exceptions to the rule.

Keepers tend to keep on going well into their thirties whereas outfield players are starting to think about hanging up their boots when their age starts with a three, although recently, thanks to advances in medical science and whatnot, even outfield players still have plenty to give well into their thirties.

So while outfield players are breaking the trend by playing on longer, one former Newcastle United goalkeeper is looking to break the rule the other way round by considering hanging up his gloves at just 31 years old.

Loris Karius left Newcastle in the summer after a two-year spell at St James' Park despite arriving on a six-month contract.

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Loris Karius impressed Eddie Howe after making a short-term move to Newcastle

With Martin Dubravka on loan at Manchester United and Karl Darlow injured, Newcastle needed backup for Nick Pope and turned to Karius as a short-term hire to fill the gap.

Karius trained well and impressed Eddie Howe. He even made a first-team appearance for Newcastle at Wembley in the Carabao Cup final with Pope suspended and Dubravka cup-tied.

His attitude led to Eddie Howe giving Karius a contract extension, which saw the big German stopper making another senior appearance almost exactly a year to the day after the Carabao Cup Final in a Premier League clash against Arsenal.

Karius hasn't ruled out retirement as he struggles to find a new club

Howe wanted Karius to stay on this summer, but he took the difficult decision to move on and look for a club where he could get more regular football.

Unfortunately, Karius remains without a club still, but he's not letting that get him down and has told SportBible (via The Chronicle) that he's considering retirement if he can't find a new club but he's not letting it get him down.

"If you've been out for as long as I have then you obviously have to consider retirement. I haven’t made a decision yet because there's no need to. I'm still fit. I still have all the potential and the ability.

"But if a door doesn't open then I have to be honest and say to myself, 'Listen. I've got many other things that I can pursue that excite me that I enjoy and put effort into.' I don't think it would hit me that hard because I've already been going through this process over the last few years."

He gets to come home to Diletta Leotta every day, so it's not exactly a bad retirement is it?