Preston goalkeeper Declan Rudd has been forced to retire from football due to a knee injury.
The 31-year-old former Norwich keeper joined Preston permanently in 2017 after spending two previous spells on loan at the club and has made 196 appearances in total for North End.
Rudd has had a number of operations on his knee over the last 18 months but has been unable to make a return to the pitch.
“I’ve known for a while now so I’ve had a bit of time to let it sink in, but I wouldn’t say I’ve quite come to terms with it,” Rudd said.
“It’s a big thing that was always a possibility but one I hoped wouldn’t happen. Everybody wants to finish on their terms and I thought that I still had my best playing days to come, but unfortunately it’s stopped too early.
“The worst thing is I haven’t had the chance to say bye to the players, the staff or the fans yet, so it’ll be nice to get back to Deepdale.
“The last time I played at Deepdale was for the Liverpool game in a full house, so it’s not a bad game to have as your last appearance, but it’ll be nice to go back there to thank everyone because they’ve all been brilliant with me, the fans especially.
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“Everyone always stuck by me, so that’s why I wanted to come back five or six years ago, because it just felt like a club I belonged at.”
Preston boss Ryan Lowe added: “I’m obviously gutted for him. First and foremost, goalkeepers can often go for forever and a day, so for Dec to have to retire at the age of 31 is obviously disappointing for him and disappointing for us.
“Secondly, I’m disappointed myself that I didn’t have the opportunity to work with him because I believe and I know that he was a fantastic lad to work with and a fantastic goalkeeper.
“He’ll be sadly missed in the football world and at Preston North End because he’s a good bloke as well as a quality goalkeeper.”