Former Town striker Jordan Rhodes has announced his retirement, aged 35.

Rhodes joined the Blues as a 15-year-old from Barnsley for £5,000 after his father Andy became keeper-coach at Portman Road.

Just as he was making his mark in the first team, the one-time Kesgrave High School pupil was controversially sold to Huddersfield by then-manager Roy Keane in the summer of 2009 after making only 10 sub appearances, scoring one goal, with the player having been keen to remain with the Blues.

After top-ups and 10 per cent of the sell-on when Rhodes moved from Huddersfield, with whom he enjoyed a hugely successful spell, to Blackburn for £8 million in August 2012, the fee Town eventually received was close to £1.5 million.

Rhodes, who is the third-highest scorer in the top four English leagues over the past two decades having bagged 220 goals, Billy Sharp, 259, and Harry Kane, 227.

The 14-times-capped Scotland international, scoring three goals, spent time on loan at Oxford United, Rochdale and Brentford while with the Blues and following his spell with Blackburn moved on to Middlesbrough for £9 million.

In July 2017, he joined Sheffield Wednesday, initially on loan before a £10 million permanent switch.

A loan spell at Norwich City followed, prior to a free transfer return to the Terriers, then a season and a half at Blackpool, before a half-season loan at Mansfield last term.

Rhodes, who was promoted four times with four different clubs over the course of his career, has been appointed as Blackburn’s loan manager.

Elsewhere, Rhodes’s former Town teammate Connor Wickham scored from the halfway line for a PFA XI in a game against Manchester United’s U21s earlier today.

The PFA XI is a side of free agents looking for new clubs which has been training and playing friendlies during pre-season.

Photo: Action Images

BlueBlood90 added 20:08 - Sep 3 Good riddance.
-15

SussexTractor added 20:10 - Sep 3 An exceptional home grown striker who should never have been sold by the managerial disaster that was Roy Keane. His goal scoring record was very good.
10

jazzback added 20:11 - Sep 3 Quality player. Shame Keane decided to get rid off. How things might of been had we kept him
5

StrathdonBlue added 20:24 - Sep 3 What a great manager Keane was. Shipped out a kid who didn't want to leave and who went on to be English league football's third top scorer of the last 20 years. Still, we got Tamas Priskin instead...
7

londonben added 20:53 - Sep 3 Can only imagine what could have happened if we’d have kept hi, and had him and Wickham playing together for us…ah well, glad he went on to do so well after he was forced out.
1

ArnieM added 20:53 - Sep 3 Think it was a toss up between Jhodes and Wickham. The latter was slightly behind Jordan in the development pathway, and Keane asked one of the coaches who knew both players, which one would be the better prospect to keep. He said Wickham.
1

CobboldCrusty added 21:30 - Sep 3 sign him up
0

BotesdaleBlue added 21:46 - Sep 3 His shocking departure was at the time, and remains to this day, more evidence of what a truly appalling manager Keane was.
1

NorthLondonBlue2 added 22:11 - Sep 3 It just felt so wrong at the time - and we’ve had a flavour of that with Chaplin this week
-3

blues1 added 22:39 - Sep 3 NorthLondonBlue2. No, we didnt. Chaplin instigated his.ove to Portsmouth, knowing he was unlikely to play much football, withvthe new players we have. And may not even have been named in the 25 man squad. Plus, remember its a loan with a recall, so hardly the same thing as with Rhodes.
1

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