Former Cherries star Shaun MacDonald retires aged 33

The midfielder, who spent five years at Cherries between 2011 and 2016, has hung up his boots at the age of 33.

MacDonald, a former Wales international, arrived on the south coast from boyhood club Swansea City when Cherries were in League One under Lee Bradbury.

The affable Welshman, who had previously spent multiple loan spells at Yeovil, quickly became a fans' favourite at Cherries, helping the club to promotion from the third tier in his second season.

He played 23 games in the Championship in the following season, before struggling for game time, although was part of the 2014-15 promotion winning squad.

MacDonald remained at Cherries for their first season in the Premier League, playing three times in the top flight, in matches against Manchester City, Swansea and Aston Villa.

He left Cherries to join Wigan Athletic in 2016, having played 101 matches, scoring six goals.

But disaster struck during his first season with the Latics. Having established himself in the side, MacDonald suffered an horrific leg break during a match against Reading at Madejski Stadium in April 2017.

He would go on to miss the entirety of the following season, and then only played twice in the 2018-19 campaign.

MacDonald moved on to Rotherham in League One in the summer of 2019, helping the club to promotion into the Championship.

Again injury hampered the Swansea-born star last year, suffering another leg fracture which kept him out of action for several months.

He returned to finish the campaign, but could not prevent Paul Warne's Millers from being relegated.

MacDonald was released by Rotherham in the summer, linking up with Crewe Alexandra on a free transfer.

But after making four appearances for his new club, he has now decided to call it a day and cancel his contract early.

MacDonald retires having made 289 professional club appearances across the top three tiers in England, scoring 18 goals. He also played four times for the Wales senior side.