Darel Russell reckons Dion Dublin should think again about retiring this summer - but admits he has failed to talk the Canaries striker out of his decision to quit the game.

By CHRIS LAKEY

Darel Russell reckons Dion Dublin should think again about retiring this summer - but admits he has failed to talk the Canaries striker out of his decision to quit the game.

The 38-year-old Dublin has confirmed that he will call it a day after City play their final game, at Sheffield Wednesday on May 4.

“I keep saying to him, 'what is the point of hanging up at 39?' He might as well do it at a round figure of 40, that would make more sense for me.

“It is almost like getting to 99 appearances and not making that 100. I have said to him to continue until he is 40, but I think his missus is looking forward to him coming home now and it's well deserved.”

Russell says Dublin's departure will leave a “massive” gap in the City squad, but says the popular Dublin will leave behind plenty of good memories.

“If he hangs up his boots it has been a fantastic career for him and will obviously be a loss for us,” Russell said.

“I would be pleased for him if he continued, but I will also be fantastically pleased if he retired. He has given his all to the game over the years and he is a great ambassador for the game.

“I am quite sure we will see him around, but I think you would be very hard pushed to see Dion back next season, unless he gets a real itch by about Christmas.”

Canaries manager Glenn Roeder said Dublin would be wrapped up in cotton wool until his final game - and that he expected nothing less than total commitment from his warhorse.

“The one thing with Dion is that right down from now to the last game of his career he will give you everything,” said Roeder after Saturday's goalless draw against Leicester.

“You need a certain type of character in your team, you can call them drivers, you can call them players that lift the team. Gerrard is one at Liverpool; he is a warrior. Literally, Gerrard on his own can pull Liverpool along from an average performance to a good one and Dion in his own way is like that for us.

“The things he is doing are incredible at 38 to play the full 90 minutes with the pace of the game.

“Now he has a little bit more time off than the rest, he doesn't need to be on the training ground as much as the others. If Dion needs to learn how to trap a ball now it's too late for him, so we can wrap him up in cotton wool and protect those limbs and send him out on a Saturday, Tuesday or Wednesday and let him play like he did today.

“He is so important to a manager as well; to have a senior player like that link the dressing room for a manager is terrific. There are not too many Dion Dublins around unfortunately any more in the modern game.”