Nick Barmby will retire from his professional playing career once he signs a full-time managerial contract with Hull City.
Midfielder to become full-time Hull manager
Nick Barmby has revealed that he will retire from his professional playing career once he signs a full-time managerial contract with Hull City.
Barmby has been the caretaker boss of the Championship side since November following the departure of Nigel Pearson to Leicester City.
The 37-year-old has been successful in his role thus far as he has placed Hull in sixth position after 25 matches in the table and will sign a full-time managerial contract this weekend.
This will mean the end of a playing career for the midfielder who has featured for Everton, Liverpool and Leeds United among other clubs, and he admits that he is "gutted" about it.
"I am giving up my football career, which on my side I'm gutted about because I still love playing," Barmby told
The Hull Daily Mail.
"I've wanted to be out there but that's got to end. That was a big decision for me and probably the biggest.
"But to manage this club, I will do my very best and work as hard as possible.
"The main thing is that the way we play our football isn't just for the first team.
"Everyone's got to realise that with all the young lads coming through that the reserves play like that, the youth team plays like that and even below them.
"They will get better and better and better if they manage the ball and be inventive. The structure of the club is vital. It's not just about now, it's about the future."
