Bergkamp weighs up Arsenal future

DENNIS BERGKAMP says he will retire from football at the end of this season if he is not offered a one-year contract by Arsenal.

The Dutchman wants to carry on and hopes to be reassured by Arsene Wenger that he still has a prominent part to play in the first team at Highbury.

Wenger has indicated Bergkamp would be likely to start less often next season. Compatriot Robin van Persie was given the nod ahead of him at West Bromwich Albion on Monday night.

But Bergkamp, who turns 36 next week and has been at Arsenal for almost a decade since joining for Pounds 7.5million from Inter Milan in June 1995, does not want to call it a day.

"I've already said a few months ago that I would like to carry on and the boss has said we would have a talk about it in the next few weeks.

"I would like to know what kind of team will be here next year - is it going to be a younger team for the future?

"I'm not going to be part of that future, of course, in three or four years' time. But you want to have a team that is challenging for trophies next season. I still love football, but there could be a lot of negative things coming from the boss as well, so we'll see."

Meanwhile, Manchester United's Gabriel Heinze is losing his battle to be fit for the FA Cup Final on 21 May. The fullback has an ankle injury and manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "It is not looking good."

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