Walters has no intention of international retirement

Jonathan Walters has said he’s not ready to walk away from the Republic of Ireland and vowed to help the next generation of talent make their mark for their country.

Walters, 34, has endured an injury-ravaged year that has badly hampered his playing time for Burnley and Ireland.

He missed the climax of the World Cup qualification campaign and had to watch from the sidelines as his team-mates slumped to a disastrous 5-1 play-off loss to Denmark in Dublin.

The subsequent retirements of Daryl Murphy and Wes Hoolahan led to speculation that Walters might call it a day in a green shirt, but the powerful striker insisted he still has plenty to offer.

“As long as I’m needed, I’ll play,” he told The Keith Andrews Show.

“I met with Martin. I spoke to him and I knew he was staying on. The plan was, we were going to get to the World Cup, it was going to be great.

“I probably would have retired at the end of it. It would have been the pinnacle really, getting to a World Cup. Me and Seamus (Coleman) went to the Wales game; it was unbelievable. I’ve never been so nervous watching a match.

“To go to the Denmark one and get a 0-0 away, I thought, ‘brilliant, bring them home’. It just didn’t happen. To have such a low like that when you’re not playing, I couldn’t have left it like that.”

Walters underwent keyhole surgery on his knee to address a cartilage problem back in January.

He’d only just come back into the Clarets team after a four-month spell out and the setback effectively wrote off his campaign, although he is hoping to feature for Sean Dyche’s men before the season’s end.

“I think I can help,” Walters added when pondering his future role with Ireland.

“I believe in myself. I think I can do a job. I’m still fit. I’m still in good nick.

“Hopefully now towards the end of the season I’ll be involved. Going into the summer, it’s a big two years.

“I think I can do a job and help the boys who are coming through.”