Phil Taylor has revealed that he has no plans to distance himself from darts once he has brought an end to his career.
The 16-time world champion has been a regular fixture at the top of the sport since his first world title in 1990, but the Stoke-on-Trent thrower has previously mentioned retiring at the age of 55.
However, with just 10 months to go until that date, Taylor believes that he will continue to play competitively for a number of years but plans to remain in darts in some form after ending his time on the PDC Tour.
The 54-year-old told BBC Sport: "Nobody wants me to retire, people get teary when I mention it. It's got to happen.
"Maybe they'll keep me in the Premier League, maybe I'll be a pundit, but I'll always be there around the game."
The world number two's next event is the European Championships, which gets underway in Muelheim on Friday.