THERE are doubts whether former Burnley frontman Michael Ricketts will ever play professional football again.

Ricketts, a one-time England international, is currently without a club following his release from Southend just a couple of months into the season.

It was claimed the Roots Hall club terminated his deal on the basis that Ricketts was overweight and had put on weight since joining the Championship club this summer.

It is a sad episode for a striker who, just over four-and-a-half years ago, made his England debut against Holland following a terrific spell of form for Bolton.

He became the first Trotters player since Freddie Hill in 1963 to pull on an England shirt, but lasted just 45 minutes in the drawn friendly in Amsterdam and never played for the Three Lions again.

Ricketts joined Middlesbrough from the Reebok Stadium in January 2004 for £3,500,000 but made only 12 league starts and scored four goals for Boro before moving on a free to Leeds.

He continued to struggle in Yorkshire and Burnley were one of three clubs taking Ricketts on loan, offering him a chance to re-ignite his career.

At the Clarets, Ricketts made 13 appearances towards the end of last season. He scored twice in his first three matches, netting against Plymouth and Ipswich.

Now, at the age of 27, he has slid into obscurity following his departure from Southend, with suggestions that he has fallen out of love with the game.

"He is doing nothing," said a friend. "The management there thought they could draw something out, but Michael had a weight problem and there was also a doubt about his desire.

"It's not the first time that's been questioned.

"However, nobody doubts his talent and he deserves another chance somewhere."

Bolton manager Sam Allardyce says he has been saddened at the demise of the Birmingham-born striker, who smashed 37 goals in 63 league starts for the Trotters.

"It's always sad to lose a player you feel you've helped," said Allardyce.

"I took great pleasure in him playing for England, but I've got great dissatisfaction with what's happened to Michael since."

Hinting at problems with his representatives, Allardyce added: "His decline has been based on a lot of false promises by other people. It affected him and affected us."

Despite finding himself in the international wilderness after his one England cap in February 2002, Ricketts admitted playing for his country was always a great source of pride.

During his spell at Turf Moor, he said: "My world has crumbled around me a little bit since playing for England, but I still look on that as a blessing rather than a hindrance.

"Not many people can say they have played for their country and it was a great time in my life and something that I can always look back on with pride."

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