Ross Draper feels ready for his next challenge after his departure from Ross County.
Draper was among 10 players let go by County last week, as the Staggies purged a significant amount of experience from the squad which escaped relegation.
After joining in 2017 from rivals Caley Thistle, where he was a Scottish Cup winner, Draper found his time in Dingwall lately hampered by a knee injury and lack of game-time.
However, he was part of the 2018-19 team which won the Challenge Cup and the Championship title, securing a first-time return to the Premiership.
Draper is not ready to throw in the towel in his career yet and is open to relocating if necessary, having lived in the Highlands since joining Inverness in 2012.
He said: “Thirty-two is not an age to chuck it in. I’ve not played as much football as I wanted to at Ross County, which is a big disappointment with my knee injury two years ago.
“Now I feel absolutely fine. I’ve been fit the majority of this season. I didn’t play a lot of football under him, which I was telling him every day.
“I spoke to him after the season ended and he said sorry, for not getting as much football as I wanted.
“I just want to get back to playing football again now consistently, at whatever level or team that is in Scotland and England. I’m open to anything, even if that means relocating.”
Draper made 98 appearances for County in four seasons. His previous stint at Caley Thistle saw him play 207 times, win the club’s first piece of major silverware and qualify for Europe. However he was to taste back-to-back relegations with both clubs.
The former Macclesfield Town midfielder was part of a group of players who came up from England under Terry Butcher, along with David Raven, Gary Warren, Carl Tremarco, Greg Tansey and Billy Mckay.
Slowly the group has dwindled, with Mckay and Tremarco released by the Staggies alongside Draper.
He added: “I’ll sit back and let my agent speak to a few clubs then go from there. I’m nowhere near ready to stop playing.
“I still think I’ve got a lot to give. I’ll speak to my agent quite a bit about what path to go down, but I’ll go away and enjoy a bit of family time.
“Going away for five or six days takes away the feeling of worrying about your next club.”
