Cahill denies Everton exit plans

(GETTY IMAGES)

Tim Cahill has hit out at claims that he will quit Everton when his current contract expires and return to play football in Australia.

The midfielder, 28, is contracted to the Goodison Park club until 2012, and insists that he will want to stay in the English game after that deal runs out.

Cahill said: "Everyone knows that I am fiercely proud of my roots and that perhaps one day I may play club football back home but to say that I will be doing it at the end of my current deal is simply not true.

"I am 28 and, with all due respect, when my contract expires I would hope that I will still have a few more years left at this level of the game.

"The English Premier League is the best in the world and it has the best players so I have absolutely no plans to move on."

However, it seems likely that when Cahill's career in the UK does come to an end, he would like to finish playing the game back home.

It had been suggested that he could sign for South Coast FC, who hope to join the elite A-League in Australia in time for the 2010-11 campaign.

He was reported as saying: "Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to round off my football life playing for a team that I'm convinced will get a licence to join the competition sooner rather than later."

However, Cahill has stressed those comments have been taken out of context, and he would like a further deal in England when his current contract expires.