JAY Spearing has not ruled out resuming his career at Wanderers next season.

As the club swung the axe on 13 players yesterday, shaving a massive £5million-plus from their annual wage bill, their most costly signing of recent times is refusing to write-off his own career with the Whites.

Spearing arrived from Liverpool for £1.5million nearly two years ago as the captain and cornerstone of Dougie Freedman’s rebuilding plan at the Macron Stadium.

Yet he quickly lost his place in the side after Neil Lennon’s arrival and sought first-team football under long-time admirer Gary Bowyer at Blackburn Rovers.

Many predict that Wanderers could cash-in on the midfielder this summer as they continue to reduce costs in the first team.

But Spearing insists he parted on good terms with Lennon and has no qualms about returning for pre-season training at the end of June to prove himself all over again.

“It started well and I played games under Neil Lennon, got a little injury and then couldn’t get back into the side because the lads were doing well,” he said.

“At the end of the day if that’s happening there’s nothing I can do. It’s just a matter of time before I needed to go and play some football.

“It was easy enough to go to Blackburn, to play, and end the season on a high.

“Now I’m ready to go back in pre-season and fight for my place.”

Before going to Blackburn, Spearing was all set to join Watford on loan, the deal only going cold at the last moment when Slavisa Jokanovic switched targets to Ben Watson.

And the 26-year-old was impressed with how the Hornets played their way to promotion this season.

“It’s a tough league and there are a lot of teams who are fighting to get out of it but if you can play some football and you’ve got a goalscorer in your team, like Watford this season, then you can get out of it,” he added.

“That’s what everyone is looking to do.”

Speaking at the launch party for the 2015 MBNA Northwest Football Awards at Hotel Football, Old Trafford, Spearing also had high praise for his Liverpool former team-mate Steven Gerrard, who plays his last game at Anfield today.

The 35-year-old bids farewell to the Reds this summer after 17 years to join LA Galaxy in MLS and will play his final game in front of the Kop against Crystal Palace.

Spearing was tipped as a potential replacement for Gerrard as he made his way through the academy ranks but eventually played alongside the former England international in the Premier League and in Europe.

And he believes Gerrard’s influence on the game extends far beyond the realms of Merseyside.

“As a local lad coming through at Liverpool, playing alongside him was something I always dreamed of," he said.

"He was always massively supportive to me and he deserves everything he gets.

“For the game itself, not just the club but for football in this country, he’s been unbelievable.

“He has stood out for years, done incredible things for Liverpool and taken them to places they didn’t think they could go.

“As a person he deserves all the praise he gets and from my time in the game he’s someone I’ll always remember.”

Spearing won the North West Football Awards Player of the Year in 2013 after a successful loan spell with Wanderers that earned him a permanent deal.

And he hopes to be among the candidates once again next June when the great and the good of the region’s footballing talent assemble for the gala event.

“It’s starting to become an event that players are recognising and want to become a part of,” he said.

“I was very proud to win the award for myself and my family and it’s something I’d like to try and win again further down the line.”