EMILE Heskey has not ruled out extending his playing career next season.

The 38-year-old is set to lead the line against Charlton Athletic tonight for Wanderers, closing in on 800 career appearances spread across 22 years.

It seems unlikely the former England star will be offered the chance to stay at Wanderers in League One but the big striker says he could yet decide to play on for someone next season.

“I don’t know what the future holds for me but for the club they have already started to restructure and hopefully it’s fallen as far as it will go now,” he told The Bolton News.

People ask if I want to bow out with relegation but I got relegated when I was 17. Go figure.

“It isn’t something I worry about. You have to look at how your body feels, how your family feels. That is how I’ll make that judgement.

“Everyone wants a 28-year-old Emile Heskey, including me.

“It’s a shame I haven’t got a younger brother.

“I know the game and I know what I am capable of now, and what I was capable of as a kid. I have still got a little bit to give.”

Jimmy Phillips confirmed Heskey was in the frame to start against the Addicks – whose relegation to League One would be confirmed if they fail to beat Wanderers tonight.

The veteran front man’s exit against Middlesbrough on Saturday spelled a change in fortune for the Whites and Phillips believes his presence helped Zach Clough and Mark Davies to get into the game.

“We’re encouraging Zach to read those flicks a bit earlier and maybe make something out of them,” he said.

“As players get older they tend to use all that experience and know their legs can’t take them around the pitch like they used to.

“Emile used all the experience he gained over the years to get the positional play right and just have that little craft knowledge about the game.

“He did a great job and if he was four or five years younger he might have got his toe to a couple of crosses flashing across the goal and maybe stuck one in for us.”

Heskey has started his coaching badges at Wanderers, helping out in the Under-21s, and Phillips is keen for him to pass on some know-how to young striker Kaiyne Woolery.

“When we spoke to him a couple of weeks ago he’s doing his level two coaching and someone like Kaiyne, who has a great physical attribute with his pace but still learning the game, we said to Emile that any time he has available in the afternoons to take him out and give some one-to-one coaching would be great.

“Just a few tips, passing on his experience, it would be brilliant for the player and the club would reap the benefits.

“Emile has started to do just that and Kaiyne is a player for the future. It’s difficult for him at the moment for him to play as a lone striker because he’s still learning but we’ll work with him and I think he’ll be a real asset for the club next year.”