FORMER IRELAND international Jeff Hendrick has suggested he is “done” with professional football.

The 33-year-old won 79 Ireland caps and made over 400 senior appearances in English club football.

The St Kevin’s Boys graduate will be best remembered for his starring role with Ireland at Euro 2016, starting in all four games at the tournament for Martin O’Neill’s side, having made his international debut three years earlier under Giovanni Trapattoni.

The Dubliner also played 166 times in the Premier League for Burnley and Newcastle, after previously establishing himself at Derby County, making 196 Championship appearances for the club.

Towards the end of his career, Hendrick had loan spells at QPR, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday.

The midfielder was without a club after his four-year deal with Newcastle expired in May 2024, having struggled for game time during much of his Magpies stint, making just 25 top-flight appearances after his arrival in August 2020.

He returned to Derby on a short-term contract in March 2025, but did not make a first-team appearance for the Rams before his contract expired in June.

“I’m still not too old,” he told Virgin Media Sport on the uncertainty surrounding his future in the game.

“But I think I’m done. I’ve made the decision with the teams that have been interested in me — they didn’t suit me, my family life, and I’m at the age where you want something that’s a bit exciting and to carry on enjoying playing, and that didn’t come up at the moment, so I’m just spending more time with my kids.

“I lived the dream for so long, but I missed out on a lot of things as well. But for me, you have to weigh up both options and see what is best suited to me and my family life.

“Unfortunately, where I’m living, there are a lot of top teams in the Premier League who are in my vicinity, and they don’t want me.

“It would probably be a bit selfish for me to be away from my family three or four nights a week for 20 more games on my CV.”