Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand has revealed what he wants to do once his playing career is over, ruling out a role in coaching or media.
The 29-year-old is coming towards the peak of his profession and will no doubt be considering what he wants to do once he hangs up his boots.
Bertrand has been at St Mary’s since initially joining on loan from Chelsea in 2014, making the switch permanent a year later for £10m. He is a highly-respected player at the club, with fans having described him as “massively underrated”.
During his six years on the South Coast, the former England international has scored eight goals and provided 19 assists in 198 appearances for the club, as per TransferMarkt. A man who has been a loyal servant to the Saints’ cause over the years.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Bertrand unveiled his ambitions of becoming a Director of Football once he retires from football.
Would Ryan Bertrand make a good Director of Football?
Yes
No
“It mixes a bit of business with my sport and they’re both my passions,” he said. “Having the responsibility to say ‘yes, I chose these players, I chose them to perform well’ and working with a manager and business owner to get the right consistency and the footballing model that’s successful on the field, I would take a lot of pride in that.”
It’s an interesting career choice for Bertrand and certainly one that we have not seen since Dennis Wise in recent years of ex-players making the switch to such a boardroom level.
Having won the Champions League and FA Cup with Chelsea, he will understand what to look for during his off-field ventures and could help him thrive in his future role.
