Derby defender Ashley Cole has revealed that he will not make a decision on his playing future until after Monday's play-off final against Aston Villa.

Cole, who has made 10 Championship appearances since moving to Pride Park from MLS side LA Galaxy in January, announced that same month that was planning to end his playing career at the end of the current season.

Now however it appears that Cole may be set to reverse that decision, after he was quoted in The Evening Standard as telling RamsTV: “To be honest I have not really thought about it because at the minute it is not about me.

“It is about trying to get Derby County into the Premier League. I have to look at the bigger picture."

After left back Scott Malone was sent off in the second leg of Derby's play-off semi final win over Leeds, Cole could be in line to feature at Wembley, and speaking about the prospect of featuring in the promotion shoot out, Cole added: “I am lucky enough to play, hopefully, if I make the team. It is unfortunate for Scotty [Malone] to miss out [through suspension], which I am disappointed in.

“I am happy that I am playing but in terms of me, I don’t know. I am trying not to think about that yet. I just want to try and do my best on the day and get Derby promoted.

“Then I will sit down and think about what I am going to do. I don’t want to try put the focus on me and kind of confuse myself."

Asked whether Wembley could be for the perfect place to bow out of the game, Cole added: “It would be a great place [to retire], but on the other side it could be a worse place if you lose."

The verdict

It appears as though Cole may well fancy another shot at the Premier League, given his reluctance to commit to retirement from playing .

If Derby are promoted, then keeping Cole around could be a boost for Derby, given his experience and know how of the top tier, even if he unlikely to be a regular feature in the Rams starting XI.