Leighton Baines has admitted that his long-term future at Everton is out of his hands.
The left-back’s current Toffees contract expires in June 2019 and Baines revealed that he was unsure how long he would be able to keep playing in the Premier League given the fact he was now 33-years-old.
“I haven’t set any targets, you just have to see how long your legs will carry you,” said Baines at a fans event at Hangar 34, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
“Those decisions are not yours to make, the hope is that you can carry on forever but everyone knows it’s not possible and your body will naturally decline.
“I think whoever is at the club, the manager and the other people, will eventually make that call.”
The defender has only made 13 appearances in the league this season after suffering a calf injury during the 4-1 defeat to Southampton in November.
Baines has been at Everton since joining the club from Wigan in 2007 and has made 394 appearances for the club so far.
The defender’s performances for Everton throughout the years saw him attract attention from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, and according to the Daily Mail Baines rejected a move to Bayern Munich in 2010 in order to stay at Goodison Park.
OPINION
Everton are desperate to see Baines return to their team as he is currently sidelined with a calf injury. Without Baines in the team, Cuco Martina has been forced to play at left-back despite being a right-back. While Martina has done his best, the Toffees could really do with Baines back at left-back as their lack of a left-footed defender has caused them trouble in recent games. The only concern about Baines’ return is that he was starting to show signs that his age was catching up with him ahead of getting injured. So the Toffees will no doubt still need a new left-back in the summer with Baines’ time at Everton looking like coming to an end.