Use your head and sign up now for the Everton FC newsletter Sign up now Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

STEVEN PIENAAR has spoken of his nine-year Everton career coming to an end, but not in the way he had envisaged.

The South African midfielder has only started two matches all season – the last at Carlisle in January - and says it is “unreasonable” to have to wait until the end of the season to discover whether his contract will be extended.

Pienaar, 34, spoke to kick-off.com and said: “Waiting until the end of the season to hear whether or not Everton wish to extend my contract is unreasonable, I feel. It’s not the way I envisaged ending my career at a club that has been such a major part of my life.

“My representatives have tried a number of times, unsuccessfully, to get hold of the club to talk about my future and get some indication, so I remain in the dark.

“Obviously I need to keep my options open because I would still like to keep playing for another couple of seasons at least.

“I have always been up for a challenge and if the environment is right then I would love to give something new a go.

“I am really just looking for game-time at this stage of my career so in my current situation I wouldn’t mind dropping down to the Championship to help a club there until the end of the season. That would be a great challenge.

“I still feel like I have got a lot to offer and at this stage of my career, what’s most important for me is playing games.”

Pienaar has made 228 Everton appearances in two separate spells at the club.

He returned to the starting line up after a long injury absence, against Dagenham in January.

Four successive appearances from the subs bench were followed by that start at Carlisle, then after three unused substitute appearances he hasn’t figured in the squad at all.

Pienaar added: “I’m 100 percent fit and felt in good form when I played some games in January.

“I haven’t been in the squad for the last six weeks, I don’t know why, and obviously this is a concern for me. But that is the coach’s decision and I must respect that.”