Over and out. Tettey’s City deal will be his last

Norwich City’s long-serving midfielder Alex Tettey plans to retire when his final City deal runs out in 2021.

The 33-year-old signed a one year extension last month but feels that could be the perfect time to bow out of football.

Tettey, speaking to Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, has ruled out a swansong back in his homeland when his nine-year spell at Carrow Road comes to an end.

“How well the body can withstand that contract, I do not know. But by 2021, it’s over,” he is quoted as saying. “Then I’m too old. My body can’t stand it. As it is now, I can’t train on artificial turf, one knee has to be extremely well taken care of and it also requires a lot to be old and play with it.

“It’s a health decision I’ve made, and it’s fine. I have played in Norway for many years before going abroad, so it doesn’t feel bitter. But I plan to go home to Norway with my family when the contract is complete.”

Tettey still has unfinished business at Norwich, which includes trying to retain the club’s Premier League status if the league can resume in the weeks ahead, with football currently on hold due to the global pandemic.

“I have great faith in the team. We have games that we think we can get out of. If you win some matches, everything can happen,” he said. “Everything is in our hands and we have to win some matches to get out of the situation. We hope we can, and six points is not the worst gap.

“The virus is a little scary. We don’t know that much, so this is not very good.

“Before, we learned that it was the elderly and others with underlying illnesses that could die, but now it is killing healthy ones as well. No one had imagined this.

“Yes, I haven’t gotten sick, thankfully. Now we just cross our fingers so that there will be no disease. We follow the rules and we make every effort to stay healthy.”