A former Manchester City star has revealed he may be forced into retirement sooner than his December deadline as a chronic injury continues to prove troublesome.
Jesus Navas, who spent four seasons with City from 2013 to 2017 before he returned to boyhood club Sevilla, made the devastating concession on Spanish radio.
'Hopefully I can make it until December, because every game starts to be more difficult,' Navas told Canal Sur Radio.
'I've been in this situation for four years. It is wearing you down, it's getting worse, it is getting more and more continuous, more intense. It's complicated, when you finish a game, I haven't been able to walk for two or three days, which becomes complicated.
'For me, these six months were a very big challenge. I wanted to be with the team. I hope I can make it until December because every game starts to be difficult.
Jesus Navas has revealed he may be forced to retire earlier than he initially anticipated
'I can't take it anymore, it's a health issue. There are days when I can't be with my children. I have it decided.'
Navas, who already declared his intention to retire in December, recently conceded he had been dealing with a chronic hip injury.
The 38-year-old signed a lifetime contract with Sevilla at the end of last season which would keep him as a player until December 31 and then transition into a role within the club.
It was a major U-turn from Navas given he said he would depart Sevilla at the end of the 2023-24 season just days before he signed the lifetime deal.
As part of his final contract, Navas revealed he would donate all of his salary to charity.
Navas is Sevilla's record appearance holder with 692 games and could crack the 700 mark should he manage to continue playing through to December 31.
He made his debut for the Andalusian club in November 2003 and spent ten seasons with Sevilla before he moved to City in the summer of 2013 for £15million.
Navas lasted four years at the Etihad where he won the Premier League in his first season as well as two League Cups.
He returned to Sevilla on a free transfer in 2017 as he continued his transition from a rapid right-winger to a right wing-back.
Such has been the success of Navas' positional change, he earned a recall to the Spanish national team in June 2023 after nearly three years in the wilderness.
The 38-year-old even started in Spain's Group B fixture against Albania and their semi final against France at Euro 2024, a tournament they went on to win with a 2-1 victory over England in the final.