Retirement or playing on? Rotherham United's Lee Peltier talks about a tough decision

The 37-year-old defender has spent the last two seasons with Rotherham United, racking up 64 outings since joining the club during the managerial reign of Paul Warne.

After 18 years as a pro, he is only seven appearances short of the 600 mark.

Peltier has been considering retirement for several months and will make a final decision in the next few weeks.

“I just need to have a good mental reset,” he told the Advertiser. “It's been a tough season so it will be nice to get away and spend some time with my family and just chill out for a bit. Then we'll decide what we're going to do.”

The Liverpudlian, whose previous clubs include Huddersfield Town, Leeds United and Cardiff City, is at the end of his one-year deal at AESSEAL New York Stadium.

New manager Steve Evans has praised his contribution and is due to meet out-of-contract players tomorrow to either release them or offer them fresh terms.

Peltier says he won't commit to anything just yet if he is told the Millers want to retain his services.

“Listen, I wouldn't say ‘no’ to any sort of contract that is offered to me – it would be stupid of me to do that – but I need to have a break mentally and physically and see where I'm at,” he said.

The right-back, a major figure on the pitch and in the dressing room during his time with Rotherham, played in Saturday's 5-2 last-day Championship home win over Cardiff before being substituted in the second half.

The Millers have been relegated this term but the veteran believes they would have staved off the drop had their treatment room not been so crowded.

“The table doesn't lie,” he said. “We haven't been good enough and we've got to be accountable for that as players.

“However, I think there was enough in this squad to stay up. The players who have been out injured have been massive misses for us.

“The injuries have been mental in terms of how many of them there have been. We haven't been able to fill benches. The lads who have been available have stuck together and tried to give their best.”

Evans, who returned for a second spell in the New York hot-seat two and a half weeks ago, has started Peltier in all of the three matches for which he has been back at the helm.

“It's gone well,” the player said. “He's really just simplified things, told us what he wants. Running, tackles ... you know what Steve Evans is about.”