Bournemouth ace Rhoys Wiggins forced to retire aged just 30 after suffering horror knee injury two years ago
Unlucky former Welsh Under-21 star was hurt on loan at Birmingham and, several operations later, has called it a day
AFC BOURNEMOUTH defender Rhoys Wiggins has finally accepted he can never play at the top level again.
Wiggins, 30, suffered a serious knee injury nearly two years ago and hasn't featured since.
The former Welsh Under-21 star was on loan at Birmingham City when he was stretchered off during the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa in October 2016.
A number of operations followed but Wiggins could not recover full fitness and has now called time on his pro career.
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said: "Whenever a career ends prematurely it is always a sad moment.
"Rhoys has played a really important role in our recent history.
"When we were fighting to stay in the Football League, he signed on loan for us from Crystal Palace and was excellent.
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"He played a big part in that season, which was a key turning point in the club’s history, and then came back to the club permanently and did really well.
"I always rated him really highly as a player, both for us and when he lined up against us."
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Wiggins also played for Crystal Palace, Norwich City, Charlton Athletic, Sheffield Wednesday besides his three spells at Bournemouth.
In all he made 72 appearances in all competition for the Cherries, having first arrived on the south coast in January 2009 on loan from Norwich.
A year later Wiggins returned to the Cherries for the second half of the 2009/10 campaign, playing his part in the club’s promotion from League Two and subsequently signing permanently that summer.
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After departing for Charlton in 2011, he returned almost five years later for a third spell, with Bournemouth in the Premier League.
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Added Howe: "The really sad thing is that he [Wiggins] ended up getting a couple of really serious injuries that unfortunately meant he never got to play in his latest spell for us and never got to play in the Premier League.
";But behind the scenes he has been brilliant and contributed in loads of different ways.
"He has been a really good, positive influence around the players who have been playing and we wish him well now in the next stage of his life."