After spending the better part of 15 years on English soil, the majority with the Bolton Wanderers football club, former Reggae Boyz captain Ricardo Gardner is finally back home.

The player, who signed for the Greater Manchester-based club after Jamaica's historic qualification to the 1998 World Cup in France, parted ways with outfit following their relegation to the English Championship last season. Gardner made some 409 appearances for the Whites, but hampered by recurring knee injuries failed to nail down a spot in the squad in his last two seasons.

However, despite spending the entire 2013 season without a club, the 34-year-old isn't quite ready to give up on football and looks forward to the next stage of his career, whatever that is. Despite failing to secure a place on the club's roster, Gardner has been keeping fit by training with the Bolton team.

"I've been keeping myself healthy to prepare for what God has in store for me in the future," Gardner told UK publication SBNation (http://www.lionofviennasuite.com).

"My family are happy that we are heading back to Jamaica, which makes me happy.

Gardner played his last game for Bolton against Swansea last season, but has since appeared for the Jamaican national team, taking part in a failed Caribbean Cup campaign in December of last year. The player now admits that once settled back at home he could turn his attention to the United States Major Soccer League (MLS), where several Jamaicans currently ply their trade.

"I want to get the family settled as quickly as possible then I am maybe looking at doing a year in the MLS. Who knows, I might even come back here for another year or two? We will see what happens," Gardner said.

"I would love to have given it another go and kept playing over here but this seems like the perfect time for me, I wouldn't say to move on, because maybe I'll be back here some day - but to go, breathe some fresh air and take it from there."