Yorke rules out return to national f/ball squad

DWIGHT YORKE has quashed all speculations of his return to Trinidad and Tobago football by stating emphatically that he will not rescind his decision to retire from the international scene. The 32-year-old Blackburn Rovers striker spoke to the media on Sunday night following Trinidad and Tobago’s 3-0 defeat to Northern Ireland in a friendly international at the Dwight Yorke Stadium, Bacolet, Tobago. Even though he played Sunday’s match as a second-half substitute, in an unaccustomed role as midfielder, he made it clear that he will not attempt a comeback.

“I’ve retired for three years and I just feel that (TT) football has gone on and I feel that there are young people out there who deserve a chance to try to take this country to the World Cup,” he stressed. Yorke admitted that he featured in Sunday’s match as a “gesture from my side to the people of Tobago, that people who haven’t seen me play have gotten the opportunity to do so. But, in terms of playing for Trinidad and Tobago again, I think that’s very unlikely.”

He expressed his desire to contribute to the sport locally “because of my experience and the things I’ve gained as a professional player. Me and (coach) Bertille St Clair have a good understanding and if he needs my advice or contribution in any way to help Trinidad and Tobago football I would support that,” he said. What does the future hold for the former Aston Villa and Manchester United star forward? “I’m getting a pretty old man right now,” he laughed, “although I feel very fit at times. The future is still very bright. I think that I’ve got three good years as a professional player and, after that, I would retire and take my career from there,” he said.