No decision has been made yet regarding the future of New York City FC captain David Villa, sources told ESPN, though there has been a certain level of frustration during the Spaniard's six-week knee injury layoff.
Reports in Spain on Friday suggested that Villa was thinking about retirement at the end of the season, and that the MLS club would not be renewing his contract.
But sources said both the club and Villa consider all options on the table. A decision will likely be made at the end of the season, with NYCFC's postseason perfomance serving as an important factor.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, the 36-year-old is focused on making a title run with the club where he has spent the past four years of his career.
Villa said earlier this week that his focus is on the current season and is not thinking about his future.
"We are only focusing in the game against Philadelphia on Saturday. There'll be time to talk about that later on the year," said the Spain international after training on Tuesday.
Villa is back in full force with the team after his return from the injury, scoring the opening goal in NYCFC's 3-2 victory over Toronto on Sunday. The Spanish striker is looking forward to a strong finish as the team goes into its last 10 matches of the MLS regular season.
The forward has been key to the development of the team since he arrived in New York in 2014. Back then, he said he wanted to "try and help MLS continue to grow and try to make New York City the best team in the league."
Beyond that, Villa has also become an integral part of the global City Football Group, since he played four games for Melbourne City in Australia after signing with NYCFC in 2014, and has spent a few stints training with Pep Guardiola in Manchester.
NYCFC head coach Domenec Torrent could not have been any clearer in this regard, discussing what Villa means to the club.
"He is the boss," Torrent said on Tuesday. "We have been able to win games without him -- and that's good -- but make no mistake: He is our key player, he is our [designated player]. We need him to continue competing at the highest level. We need him on the pitch because he can score a goal in 10 seconds."