Gloucester Rugby lock Alex Brown has announced that he has been forced to hang up his boots due to a shoulder injury.
The 33-year-old, who picked up the injury during his side's Aviva Premiership opener against Northampton, had an operation to repair nerve damage but has since revealed that he will no longer be fit enough to play.
"It's stating the obvious but I'm totally gutted," Brown told the club's official website. "I was so looking forward to this season and beyond.
"When the surgeon came in after the operation and told me that I would not be able to play rugby again, the news hit me hard and has been tough to deal with, especially as there has been a new dawn at Gloucester Rugby under Nigel Davies and I so wanted to be part of it.
"I genuinely thought that I had a few good years left in me but it's not to be. I've had to take on board the advice I have received and what my body is telling me."
Brown spent three months trying to recover from the injury.
