“Every goalkeeper will say that..” Keiren Westwood on life after Sheffield Wednesday

The Republic of Ireland international, who is recovering from a rib injury worsened in the warm-up of the Owls’ derby day win at Barnsley last time out, is one of a raft of first team players out of contract at the end of the season.

No contract offer has yet been pushed his way and with Joe Wildsmith and Cameron Dawson waiting for their chance behind him, there is widespread speculation that the Championship run-in laid ahead of Wednesday could be his last in Owls colours.

But speaking to The Star earlier this month Westwood made crystal clear that while retirement was not something central in his thinking, what he intends to do with life after football remains a mystery.

It has been suggested that Westwood would be interested in going into coaching.

“I have thought about it a little bit, but not to the extent I’m like ‘Yeah OK, I want to do this’,” he said. That’s one because my main focus has been on the fact I wasn’t involved in the team.

“That was my sole focus; I need to get back, I need to do this or that, I need to get back in and I need to play.

“I gave myself that focus on 200 games, that became the focus, winning games.

“I’m not straight batting it or sitting on the fence and I have thought about it, but not to the extent that I can say in 18 months time or three years time, I’ll be doing this.

“The fact is that I’m gong to try and play as long as I possibly can, every goalkeeper will say that. Ultimately at the moment, life after football is not a priority.”

On his Wednesday future, he said relegation to League One would not be a deal-breaker and said: “There hasn’t been any contract talks, but I don’t expect there to be. We have more pressing matters at the moment.

“I’ve loved it here, and I’d 100% consider it. Of course I would. I’ve been here ages, and I love it.”

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