Chris Wood reveals his next career move after retiring saying ‘it takes my fancy more than coaching does’

CHRIS WOOD has his heart set on watching football forever – but he doesn’t want to go down the traditional coaching route.

The in-form striker has scored eight Premier League goals in 12 starts this season as Forest host Ipswich Town on Saturday.

In fact, only Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah have found the back of the net on more occasions this season.

But Wood has admitted he would like to pursue a career as a football commentator when he hangs up his boots.

The New Zealander has no plans to enter coaching after retirement and aims to do his talking off the pitch as well as on it.

He told The Mail: “It really intrigues me. In certain sports, I would be OK.

“Commentary feels like it would come a bit more naturally to me. It certainly takes my fancy a bit more than coaching.

“The play-by-play commentary is a very different skill from punditry that would have to be enhanced and worked on.

“You need to have a good understanding of what you’re talking about, and to me that means you must have played the sport or been involved in it for a long time.”

‘It’s not a case of being able to do it straightaway. It will take a lot of time to learn and understand from people above me but it’s a nice option that might be possible.

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“With television you can jump in and out when you need to, but on radio you have to do a lot more to get the picture across.

“If I’m driving somewhere and there’s a Premier League or Champions League game on, I’ll chuck it on. It’s nice to hear what people are doing.

“You want to be able to visualise what’s happening. Sometimes you won’t get a clear picture but when it’s a great commentator, they can make you feel like you’re watching it.

“It’s definitely a step I could take after football, through New Zealand outlets or international outlets. Who knows?”

Wood also played cricket and rugby before focusing completely on football when he was 14.

Despite leaving New Zealand in his mid-teens to pursue a career in English football with West Brom, Wood remains a proud Kiwi.

He has clocked up around 85,000 miles between club and international duty this season.

Wood and his partner are expecting their first child early next year and he has won 74 caps for his country over 15 years.