Manchester United goalkeeper Paul Woolston on the heartbreaking decision to end his career

Paul Woolston was driving out of Manchester United's training ground just before Christmas when, during a conversation with his dad, he as good as realised his career was over.

'My dad asked, "How are you?". I just said, "My hip's gone". I started crying. My dad drove straight down from the North-East,' recalls Woolston.

After two operations and several months of rehab, the goalkeeper knew he was facing a decision. He knew the potential consequences of carrying on. The optimist in the 23-year-old decided to give his hip a week to settle down.

'It took seven weeks,' he says. 'I thought, "I don't really want to go through this again".

'That was when I decided to take the advice of the specialists. I was told that my health and way of life would deteriorate. I was told I could be struggling to walk and might need a hip replacement by 25. I was advised that I had to look to the future.

'If I'm lucky enough to have kids, I want to take them to the park for a kickaround, like my dad used to with me and my siblings. I didn't want my children to be told, "Sorry, Dad can't do that".

'But it wasn't as if I'd had a 20-year career. I was 23 and I was being forced to retire. That is hard. It's scary. I had dreams of playing at the highest level and looking after my family. But I also know it was the right decision.'

His retirement was confirmed last month and, since then, Woolston says the opportunity to talk about his journey has been cathartic.

'It was February of last year,' begins the former Newcastle and England Under-18 keeper. 'It was just a niggle in training, they're usually fine the next day. This felt different and I thought I best get it checked out.

'The physios told me to give it a bit of rest. From there I went for a scan and to see a specialist. It was decided I needed an operation, but it was nothing more than a tidy up and to clean the joint. I would be back playing within a few months.'

But Woolston, still groggy from the anaesthetic, suspected all had not gone to plan in the moments after surgery.

'You only really know the extent of the problem once you're inside the hip,' he says. 'As I was coming round, I heard the surgeon saying, "He'll be coming back for another operation".

'I was still dazed. My eyes were shut. I thought, "Is he talking about me?".'

He was. The second operation, in April, was a success, even though it left him in need of round-the-clock care.

'My mam moved in,' says Woolston. 'She was working from my kitchen table and looking after me. We hired a wheelchair just so I could get out a little bit more. I could not have done it without her.

'All the family would come down on the weekend, because I wasn't comfortable travelling back to Washington in a car. Their support was incredible. I was determined to get back playing.'

But then, in one of his first training sessions back in December, that realisation - "My hip's gone". With it, too, was his career.

'Honestly, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders,' he says of last month's announcement.

'Only a few people knew what I was going through. It was hard going in to training and people asking, "When are you back?". I was saying, "Yeah, end of next month".

'But I knew. I don't think it would have been fair on the clubs I might have ended up at if I had carried on.

'But I am lucky that I am at Manchester United. Their support has left me lost for words at times. It has reassured me about my future.'

So, what is next?

'That chapter is still to be written,' says Woolston. 'I have plenty of time to enjoy whatever comes next.

'I have to pick up the phone, send emails, introduce myself to people. I need to look at the bigger picture. I need to throw myself into something - be a sponge, get as much experience and knowledge as I can.

'I had that desire as a player, I will have that desire now. I can turn this into a positive and be successful in life.'