Newcastle's drop leaves Viduka in limbo

Mark Viduka faces an uncertain playing future - and perhaps even retirement - after
his English club Newcastle was relegated from the Premier League.

The Socceroos striker, who turns 34 in October, is out of contract after playing in
Newcastle's inglorious 1-0 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday when just a draw would have
kept the north-east English club in the top flight.
Viduka has recently expressed interest in playing on with Newcastle next season.
But with caretaker manager Alan Shearer expected to be appointed fulltime within the
week and saying the club needs a complete overhaul ahead of second-tier football
next season, whether Viduka will have a role in any Newcastle revival is debatable.
He almost certainly could command at least a one-year deal elsewhere in Europe and
has been heavily linked with a return to Australia in the 2010-11 season to play
with the mooted second Melbourne team in the A-League.
However, retirement could also be an option should Viduka - who has not played for
his country for nearly two years - decides not to continue on to next year's World
Cup finals.
Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek will name his squad for next month's World Cup
qualifiers on Wednesday, and all eyes will be on whether he selects Viduka.
Verbeek said earlier this month he would not discuss Viduka's international status
until the player had determined his Newcastle future.
But he also hinted retirement could be an option for Viduka should things not go to
plan with Newcastle.
"If he doesn't sign a new contract (with Newcastle) then there will probably be a
big chance that he doesn't want to play any more," Verbeek said.
"If he doesn't want to play next season then it's useless to take him for the June
games so let's wait for his decision and let's wait for Newcastle.
"It will be one of the last decisions we take."
Viduka, who could command marquee player status and a $1 million-plus annual pay
cheque should he return to the A-League, might struggle to find a club to
accommodate him at the right price for the upcoming season.
Most A-League clubs have their marquee players in place, including big-spending Gold
Coast (Jason Culina), North Queensland (Robbie Fowler), Melbourne Victory (Archie
Thompson) and Sydney FC (John Aloisi).
Viduka has also had to contend with a cruel run of injuries - Achilles tendon and
groin problems cutting into his two-season stint with Newcastle.