NIGEL Reo-Coker says he will make a decision over his future in the next couple of weeks after allowing the pain of relegation to settle in.

It is possible the midfielder could become one of the first high-profile exits of Wanderers’ drop into the Championship after he held talks with Owen Coyle yesterday to discuss what happens next at the club.

The 2-2 draw at Stoke spelled the end of 11 years in the top flight and left question marks hanging over the future of several of the squad’s top earners.

Reo-Coker – one of the Whites’ most consistent performers of a disastrous campaign – has 12 months left to run on his contract and has an option to leave because the club have been relegated.

And while he has clearly developed a fondness for the Wanderers since his arrival from Aston Villa last summer, he could make no guarantees about next season with the wounds still so fresh.

“Things are still very raw and it hasn’t really hit home,” he told The Bolton News. “I need time to step away from things but I’ll give the manager a call and speak to him, and see what the situation is.

“I just haven’t been able to let it settle in that we won’t be playing in the Premier League next season.”

Reo-Coker has played through hip and hamstring injuries in recent weeks and was also laid low by a dose of food poisoning 48 hours before the crucial game at the Britannia Stadium.

He was voted The Bolton News player of the year at the club’s award ceremony on Sunday night – but admitted the strains of the last few weeks have made it hard to concentrate on the next step of his career.

“It’s difficult to sound positive at the moment,” he said.

“I’ve given 100 per cent and my commitment has always been there.

“I feel like I’ve been emotionally attached to the club and it’s really hard to accept because I’m not just a footballer for the sake of it. I don’t walk away and think of it as just an occupation.”

Reo-Coker, who was 28 yesterday, has spent the last seven seasons playing in the top flight for Wanderers, West Ham and Aston Villa.

And while he could not answer whether he had played his last game for the Whites, he is optimistic there will be a bright future at the Reebok once the upset of relegation has died down.

“I love this football club and it reminds me of what football should be about,” he said. “It’s like Wimbledon used to be in many ways – an old-school family club.

“It’s hard to accept not being in the Premier League, but at the same time, this happened to Newcastle a couple of seasons ago and now they are challenging for fourth.

“If they can do it, why can’t we? We have got some great youngsters here, there is a bright future – the three ‘Js’, Josh (Vela), Jay (Lynch) and Joe (Riley), are fantastic products. You have got young Marvin (Sordell) and Gregg (Wylde) coming in, and with the right mix of experience it should be a bright future.

“Funnily enough, to have the experience of all this at such a young age will be really beneficial.”