HE didn’t get round to kicking a ball in his shiny black shoes, but Alan Shearer was in the thick of the action at Hexham’s Wentworth Leisure centre this week.

The former Newcastle United and England captain chatted at length to the centre’s walking footballers, who play a slower version of the game he firmly believes in.

Shearer has long been a promoter of the benefits of walking football, and in 2015, he took part in a star-studded match involving Tottenham striker Harry Kane and England World Cup winner sir Geoff Hurst.

The 48-year-old said: “Even if you’ve played football at the top level, like I have been fortunate to do, you still need exercise as you get older.

“When I was playing professionally, I got told what to eat, when to eat, and when and how to train. A few weeks into my retirement in 2006, I soon realised that I still needed to keep active.”

Shearer has made cameo appearances on the football pitch since his retirement, but admitted he needs to look after his knees, ankles, and back, and now needs to plan any football-related activity carefully.

He added: “I played a full 90-minute game two or three years ago and couldn’t move for two weeks.

“As you get older and slow down, this is a great way to keep fit, both physically and mentally, and it’s certainly something I will look to get actively involved with when the time is right.”

The ex-striker, who won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995, met members of the Wentworth Wanderers’ side which competed in the Majorca Walking Football Tournement last year, and is preparing to do so again in the spring.

Shearer added: “It was great to talk to them and to see them warming up before their session today. You could see their enthusiasm for the game.

“It’s brought people together from different walks of life, and to hear their stories about the Majorca tournament was very pleasing.

“I’m impressed with the set-up here. It’s brought a community together and that is one of the important things.”

Last May, the six-a-side Wentworth team reached the quarter-finals of the tournament in Majorca, against teams from across Europe.