Robert Pires ponders switch abroad and retirement

Robert Pires is weighing up whether to retire or to play abroad when his short-term contract with Aston Villa expires this summer.

The former Arsenal midfielder signed a six-month contract before Christmas and has made only a handful of appearances for the midlands club.

Pires is 37 and will weight up all his options at the end of the campaign.

He said: "I'm still playing in the Premier League so I get noticed. People haven't forgotten about me.

"I'm prepared to retire in May if that's what it comes to.

"But I am also ready to go wherever an interesting proposition comes along - be it Qatar or the United States.

"I've even had an offer from Australia.

"But it's a case of one thing at a time and I'll look at that at the end of the season."

Pires insists he never joined Villa for financial gain.

He said: "I always look at the sporting challenge - as I always have.

"At Villa, I'm paid on a match-by-match basis with a small fixed salary, so I didn't come here for the money."