Sampdoria’s 38-year-old forward Fabio Quagliarella said he has not decided to retire after 2021-22. ‘We will evaluate while the championship is underway’.

The veteran captain is ready to embark on another season in the Italian top flight and said he’s confident he can contribute for the Blucerchiati.

Quagliarella, who arrived at Samp in February 2016, signed a one-year extension after contributing 13 goals in 33 games last term.

“I hope to make a great contribution like in recent years,” he told Il Secolo XIX. “I know my age well, but also how I train.

“I will have made about twenty pre-season retreats. When I was young, I suffered from them, now I metabolise them, but I basically hate it.

“Once they were used to unite the group, now everyone stands on his own.”

The striker hopes to play every game and revealed former coach Claudio Ranieri managed his playing time.

“They say that I managed myself last year, but in reality Ranieri managed me,” he continued. “Had it been up to me, I would have stayed on the pitch.

“I know these are the last shots I have, and every choice is shared with the coach. I know I can’t play them all, in some games it’s even better to enter off the bench.”

The former Juventus striker has also started to study to become a coach after he retires from playing, but is not sure when he will decide to stop.

“The opportunity for this course arrived and I told myself I would carry on, it’s always better to have something in hand for when I stop playing,” he continued.

“I don’t know when, but I don’t think it’s far away. I’m not saying today that the next championship will be the last, we’ll evaluate in the middle of the season.”

The 38-year-old said he must take care of his body ‘to keep up’ with the youngsters and revealed he needs a lot of ‘rest’.

“To keep up with the young players, I have to rest a lot and well,” he added. “I sleep from seven to nine hours a night, I’m not someone who goes out, I prefer to stay at home and watch TV.”

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