FORMER City striker James Vaughan has announced he is retiring.

The 32-year-old left Valley Parade last summer for Tranmere after making it clear to former boss Stuart McCall that he did not want to commute from his Merseyside family base.

Vaughan, City’s top scorer with 11 in 2019-2020, netted 22 times to fire Tranmere into the League Two play-offs.

But he decided to call it quits after they were knocked out in the semi-finals by Morecambe.

“it was a tough decision but I’ve had a really good career,” Vaughan told Sky Sports. “It just felt that now was the right time to hang up the boots.

“I always tried my hardest and tried to get a few goals this season. But your mind and body tell you when it’s time to call it a day and I felt like I was at the end of it now.

“I’m just looking forward to the future. I love football, it’s all I know and I want to be a part of it.

“I’ve enrolled on a sporting directorship degree that I’m really enjoying. That may be something I look at in the long term.

“I’m really keen on mentoring some of the younger generation and help them, whether it’s in player representation or another form.

“I’m really excited in helping them get to where they need to be.”