Emile Heskey admits horror Stephen Ireland leg break almost made him quit ‘super vets’ team

In May, footage has emerged on social media of Ireland being the victim of a robust tackle, with a sickening snap heard in the video.

When asked on the injury, Heskey simply told pay by mobile casino site Casino Kings: "After Stephen [Ireland's] injury, I actually said I didn’t really want to play anymore because of that. Then I thought, “You know what? I’ll just give it five or 10 minutes and don’t go into any tackles.

"That fear is definitely there. You get through a great career relatively injury-free and then you could go out there and get a double broken leg."

Then Heskey spoke on feeling lucky to play:

"I saw an interview with Ashley Young and he was talking about needing a hip replacement. He is only about 40 or 41.

"I’ve just played with Luke Young and he needs a hip replacement as well.

"So, yeah, I feel lucky that I can still run around and do it. My knees aren’t great, but I can still manage."

Mentioning Stephen Ireland, he touched on his personality and managerial style and the need to be angry when required: "No, he can be horrible, to be honest with you!

"But he’s a good lad. He’s done really well bringing all these lads together.

"We were playing seven-a-side together anyway and now he’s brought it into 11-a-side. It’s great for us to get back out there sometimes, play and have a bit of fun with it."