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Lee Bowyer condones my decision not to complete season, says Lyle Taylor

Lyle Taylor
Lyle Taylor

Lyle Taylor, the Charlton striker, has confirmed that his decision not to complete the Championship season was made together with Lee Bowyer and came after agonising over his future.

The 30-year-old is out of contract this summer and has refused a deal to play in the remaining matches of the campaign, with fears injury will end his hopes of moving as a free agent.

Bowyer, the Charlton manager, revealed earlier this week that Taylor would not help his club battle relegation in their final nine games following football’s suspension during the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've sat in my living room staring at a blank TV screen for hours on end these last few weeks,” Taylor said. “I've not eaten or slept properly. I've been up until 5am listening to the birds chirping thinking about it.

"Then I finally came to the decision together with the manager that he has openly spoken about. He said to me 'Lyle I can see how cut up this has made you'. But this is a time nobody has had to deal with before - lockdown has been difficult for everyone.

"I'm gutted at the way it's finishing, but I don't expect people to care. I know that once the damage is done it's irreparable and I don't really expect any sympathy.”

Bowyer insisted Taylor did not want to jeopardise a “life-changing” move in the summer for a player who was released by Millwall and worked his way back through non-league football, Scottish football and spells at MK Dons and Sheffield United in League One.

He also recovered from a knee injury this season, which came into his thinking when deciding his future.

"My reasons and concerns stem from my knee injury - it plays on the mind,” he added on Sky Sports News.  "It makes me think what would happen if I had an injury now that threatened the rest of my career. I'll be honest with you, it scared the life out of me.

"That's my honest reasoning. I know it won't sit well with people but it's been a very hard decision to make.

"I want to play to keep this team in the league; we have worked so hard to get here. But there is something in the back of my head that says if you get a serious injury the chance you have worked and dreamed of since you were six-years-old is gone. I'm not 26 or 27 - I'm 30 years old. The way I play, it puts me in positions that I could get seriously injured at any time."