Wilson tips Seaman to play on

Seaman will be 40 in September

David Seaman's mentor Bob Wilson believes the Arsenal legend should not retire despite being snubbed for the latest England squad.

Seaman, who will be 40 in September, was left out of Sven-Goran Eriksson's party to play South Africa in a friendly.

His contract is set to expire this summer and he has an offer of a coaching role at Arsenal whenever he hangs up his gloves.

Therefore Seaman is thought to be contemplating making Saturday's FA Cup final against Southampton in Cardiff his final competitive game.

Full story:
England drop Seaman

But Wilson, Seaman's mentor at Highbury, insists he is still the most consistent goalkeeper in the Premiership.

"David's main question is does he carry on playing, full-stop?" Wilson told BBC Five Live.

"Does he play in the Cup final on Saturday and hopefully win his fourth Cup winners' medal and bow out on that, which I don't think should be the case.

Week-in, week-out he is the most consistent goalkeeper

Bob Wilson

"He's always been a great one for his own instinct - people talk about me mentoring him - but he really is his own man.

"We talk a lot and he does ask a lot but he makes his own decisions.

"I would have told him, if I thought he was past it, to have packed it in and said 'this is the time to go'.

"But I feel he should play on. He's capable of doing it. Week-in, week-out he is the most consistent goalkeeper."

No discussions

Seaman, who has made more than 1,000 appearances for Arsenal, is being pushed for his place at Highbury by 22-year-old Stuart Taylor.

In the England squad he is being chased by West Ham's David James, 32, Leeds' Paul Robinson, 23, and Leicester's Ian Walker, 31.

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And Wilson said Seaman accepted his 75-cap international career could be over.

"Sven talked to David on Saturday. He said while his [Seaman's] playing future was uncertain he couldn't include him in the England squad," said Wilson.

"David accepted that totally - he knows that he's 40 in September - and he understood that, and there's no problem with that."

An Arsenal spokesman told this website that Wenger would address the situation with Seaman at some point after the Cup final but she insisted that no discussions had yet taken place.