Stephen Carr will not be looking to hang up his boots at the end of the season, according to Birmingham boss Chris Hughton.
The 35-year-old skipper, who briefly retired in December 2008 before being lured back into the game by Blues two months later, has played just twice since December due to injury and was recently forced to undergo a minor knee operation.
"Stephen wants to play, he hates not playing, he hates not training," Hughton said. "As we've seen, certainly in the good periods he's had this season, he's a very, very fit lad, I'm quite sure he'll want to play as long as possible."
Carr is racing to return to action before the season is out - when his contract with Birmingham expires - but should he not make it then Hughton believes the veteran will have his sights set on next term.
Whether he is with City remains to be seen, with Hughton adding: "We've got a few players, three in particular (Carr, David Murphy and Colin Doyle), whose contracts will be up at the end of the season and we're assessing.
"The only reason they've been put on the back burner a little bit is because of where we are and our strive to get into the play-offs and, more so, to get back into the Premier League."
