Ex-Newcastle striker Viduka confirms talks with Fulham

Former Newcastle United and Middlesbrough striker Mark Viduka has confirmed he held talks with Fulham boss Roy Hodgson last summer.

Viduka has been living in hometown Melbourne, Australia, since December after coming off contract at Newcastle United last June.

''I had some offers from a few Premiership clubs,'' Viduka told Fox Sports last night. ''Roy Hodgson at Fulham was very interested. I went over there and I spoke to him. The thing that made me decide against that was that I was on my holidays and it was the first time, after I don't know how many years of playing football, I didn't want to go back to playing.

''My agent was ringing me all summer and I was trying to avoid going back. It's something that I've never experienced before. My last season at Newcastle, I was injured for most of the season. I'm very grumpy when I'm not doing what I love doing. I loved playing football all my life, it was my passion from since I was a little boy. I think in this last year-and-a-half of my career it was very difficult not being able to do that and not being able to contribute. I loved training, but I hated being in the gym every day doing calf raises and stuff like that.

''I used to sit in the physio room and watch the boys train and I hated it. For most of my career I was playing and I was very lucky not to have any major injuries.''