Former Northern Ireland international Chris Baird has announced his retirement.

The 36-year-old, who could operate in defence or midfield, was released by Derby at the end of last season and announced his decision through the Irish Football Association.

Baird, who won 79 senior caps before calling time on his international career after Euro 2016, also made a name for himself at Southampton and Fulham, playing in the 2010 Europa League final for the Whites.

Former Northern Ireland international Chris Baird has announced his retirement

He came through the ranks at Ballymena United before moving to Saints and is aiming to remain in the game.

‘It has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make to retire from the game I love and that has given me so much,’ he said.

‘Looking to the future, I want to stay involved in the game in some capacity and I will now look at all the options to see what I can do next after hanging up my boots.’

Baird (left) won 79 senior caps before calling time on his international career after Euro 2016

Arsenal boss Unai Emery has ordered his side to improve their mentality if they wish to beat Manchester United and Chelsea to a top four finish.

Arsenal have slipped to sixth place and are a point behind United and a further two behind 4th-placed Chelsea.

Emery’s side have lost three consecutive Premier League away games and failed to win any of their last six on the road and, ahead of Saturday’s visit to bottom side Huddersfield, the Spanish coach has insisted Arsenal’s problems start in the mind.

Unai Emery has ordered his side to improve their mentality if they wish to finish in the top four

Emery said: ‘We started very well away, changing also our mentality to get more points away, but now we need to recover this confidence. We know that defensively we need to do better.

‘Each match is an opportunity. For example, I think we can take better balance when we prepare the matches by thinking it’s going to be very difficult… I spoke with the players [and told them] we need to think this match is very important for us and every player needs to be ready, be focused and be thinking we need to win this match. We need to be ourselves from the first minute, and throughout the 90 minutes but first is the mentality. It’s to think it’s very difficult and it’s the values.

‘For us, tactically, is the second issue. The first is to think we need to win and after it’s how we can win this match – [in terms of] preparing tactically and individually.’

Emery also revealed new signing Denis Suarez went in to train alone at the club’s training ground on Monday as he looks to get up to speed following the Spaniard’s loan move from Barcelona.

Arsenal have slipped to sixth and are a point behind United and a further two behind Chelsea

Emery also revealed Denis Suarez went in to train alone at the club’s training ground

Suarez played 24 minutes as a substitute in the 3-1 defeat at Manchester City last weekend and then headed to the club’s training ground the following morning for an extended individual session with Emery’s backroom staff.

Emery added: ‘I hope he will continue, he is improving every day with us. Then I hope he can show in the next matches how he can help us better than in the first match against Manchester City.’

Emery will also be boosted by the return of Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to full training and he is available for the game, while Laurent Koscielny and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have overcome sickness.

English football has developed an edge over Germany when it comes to producing elite teenage players, according to Borussia Dortmund‘s sporting director Michael Zorc.

Jadon Sancho has stunned Zorc with the speed of his progress since his £8million move from Manchester City to Dortmund in 2017.

Sancho, 18, has forced his way into Lucien Favre’s team, become an England international and accelerated the trend for young players moving to the Bundesliga. ‘It seems to me they overtook us,’ said Zorc. ‘Let’s go back, say, five to 10 years, there was a time when English clubs signed German players.

Michael Zorc believes England has developed an edge when it comes to producing talent

‘There was a lot of discussion here. You know, it’s all about money, it’s too early for them to go to England but in the meantime we feel the education and development of youth players in the English academies is quite good.

‘The teams don’t only spend much money on transfers or salaries but also on infrastructure. When you see these youth academies —for example Manchester City — you can’t compare it with the German standard. It’s much higher, much higher.

‘And also it seems to me that it’s something like a business model for them because even if they don’t succeed in their own teams they sell them for higher prices. I read that Manchester City have sold young players for more than £150million in the last three years.

‘You can recognise it also in results. The English teams are reaching Under 17 and Under 19 finals.’

Jadon Sancho has stunned Zorc with the speed of his progress since his £8m move in 2017

Sancho, 18, has forced his way into Lucien Favre’s team and become an England international

Wales international Rabbi Matondo is the latest to leave City’s academy for Germany, joining Schalke for £9.6m last week at the age of 18.

Chelsea rejected a £35m offer last month from Bayern Munich for teenage striker Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Others on loan in the Bundesliga include Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson at Hoffenheim and Emile Smith Rowe at RB Leipzig.

Nelson and Sancho, close friends from their days playing schoolboy football in Southwark, will meet on Saturday when their teams clash in Dortmund.

Wales international Rabbi Matondo is the latest to leave City’s academy for Germany

Others on loan in the Bundesliga include Arsenal winger Reiss Nelson at Hoffenheim

‘We go way back,’ said Sancho. ‘We used to play with each other in youth games and that’s how we really got close, helping each other, grab a ball and play with friends in the cages.

‘It will be very nice to stand on the pitch with him. I hope we get that opportunity, it will be a nice memory for our families as well, coming from the same area and hopefully being proud of us.’

Sancho admits he has become a pioneer for a new generation trading the Premier League for the promise of more game time in Germany.

‘They are probably giving it a thought now,’ said Sancho.

‘I feel like young players are looking to go away because they are seeing my success, but it’s not easy. People think that because I am doing so well, but everyone’s journey is different. Mine was just to come out here and to work on me.

‘I felt at the time I needed something different. Borussia Dortmund were the club I chose. I thought this will be my new home and I’ll work very hard to prove myself.’