Damien Duff has reached a crossroads in his career and he will have to carefully consider what his next move will be.
It has been a long time since the once-zippy winger has consistently bedazzled opposition defenders and thrilled home crowds with his moments of magic.
Is this the beginning of the end for the 30-year-old?
Following relegation from the Premier League with Newcastle United, the Dubliner has insisted that he wants to remain with The Magpies and help them bounce straight back up to the top flight.
However, he might find himself being offered up as bait to other clubs in an effort to reduce the costs at the North-East club. Mike Ashley is eager to jump ship, but any potential new owner will look at a player like Duff and wonder how they can afford to pay him the handsome wages he is on whilst playing in the Coca-Cola Championship.
Even more important than that though is whether he is a player worth keeping on at all. Some may argue that he could shine in the second tier of English football, but there are many that feel that whatever impact he was once able to exert on a game has disappeared from his artillery.
It would be unfair to not mention the terrible luck that Duff has had with injuries since joining Newcastle in 2006. He really hasn't been able to show the Geordie fans what he is capable of and that will surely be the most frustrating thing on his part.
His work-rate has been at a very high level throughout his career, but sadly his talent appears to have waned in recent seasons. In the Premier League campaign just gone, he registered only two assists from 30 league games. That is a shocking stat from a winger that was once considered amongst the best of his generation - and really stands out when one considers that hardly-ever-used team-mate Geremi clocked up more assists in fewer appearances.
Due to injuries, Newcastle played him at left-back in the remaining few games of the season. Sometimes a change of position can reignite a player's career, but all it did for Duff was show that he is hard working and definitely not a defender.
With plenty of competition at international level for his place on the left wing, the fan's favourite is in real danger of sliding way down the pecking order if he continues to produce performances that fail to make a difference.
He is likely to start for Ireland in their World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria on Saturday and that will give him a chance to show that he can still deliver when it matters most.
A number of clubs will surely be watching the game and wondering whether he is a player that they should consider going for. If he plays badly then his chances of earning a move to a top-half Premier League club, not to mention keeping his place for Ireland, will quickly dissolve.
If he plays well, then it could be the lift that his career needs right now. He maintains he wants to stay at Newcastle and keep playing for Ireland, but his preferences may not matter much if he can no longer convince people that he is still a top class player.