Former Blackpool, Watford and Plymouth Argyle defender Craig Cathcart is set to announce his retirement from football, just two weeks after moving to Belgium, according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri.
The Northern Ireland international spent ten seasons at Vicarage Road, helping the Hornets to promotion from the Championship to the Premier League and even to an eighth-place finish in the top-flight in 2019, corroborated by reaching the FA Cup final in the same season.
At the end of the 2022/23 campaign, Watford announced that the experienced centre-back would be leaving the club. The Manchester United academy graduate joined Belgian side KV Kortrijk on a one-year deal with an option to extend his stay by a further twelve months.
However, just 16 days after signing for the Jupiler Pro League side, Sacha Tavolieri has reported that the 34-year-old will hang up his boots despite not yet having made his debut for Edward Still’s side.
Writing on Twitter/X last night, the journalist tweeted:
“Understand Craig Cathcart decided to stop playing football. The central back from Northern Ireland couldn’t motivate himself to be a professional player.”
During his time at Old Trafford, Cathcart spent the second half of the 2007/08 season on loan at Royal Antwerp, who at the time were in the second division of Belgian football and were a feeder club to the English giants.
Before joining Watford in 2014, the Irishman signed for Blackpool at Bloomfield Road in the Premier League for an undisclosed fee and played over 100 games for the Tangerines but it was at Vicarage Road where Cathcart is loved the most.
Writer’s View
Nobody knows why Cathcart has chosen to retire at such an awkward time but it will likely become clearer when the defender makes an official announcement confirming the report.
Nevertheless, this will be a blow for Ed Still’s team who have been very leaky at the back this season and already find themselves second bottom of the league, having picked up two points from a possible 21 with the transfer window now closed.
