Benni McCarthy fears his Blackburn career could be doomed because he does not fit into Sam Allardyce's style of play.
Bafana Bafana's record goalscorer has made just one start in the Premier League this season under the former Bolton and Newcastle boss but has still earned a recall to the South Africa squad.
However, McCarthy, who turns 33 this week, expressed his belief that he is in desperate need of regular matches ahead of the World Cup and admitted that was unlikely to happen at Blackburn.
"In my opinion, I'm better than what I see out on the pitch in training but unfortunately I have a coach that prefers a different style of football and I'm not the player that fits his description," he said.
"That's the only reason I'm not playing - if I had a coach who preferred a player who can hold the ball up and score goals then I would be first choice but unfortunately he wants something different. I can't really be mad or angry about it but it just proves I need to move on."
McCarthy added: "It's a great club and I don't really want to leave but if push comes to shove then I'll have to look at the best option for me. I've still got a lot of football in me left."
Having moved to Ewood Park in 2006, the former Ajax Amsterdam, Celta Vigo and Poto player made an instant impact under Mark Hughes, finishing as second top scorer in the league with 18 goals. McCarthy has since struggled under Paul Ince and Allardyce but revealed that he still retains a special bond with the club's supporters despite his lack of action.
"I've had some fantastic years at Blackburn and the fans absolutely adore me - not many players have that when you aren't even playing," he said.
"It's great to hear that the fans are the ones who want to see me on the pitch - if things go wrong there the fans are always chanting and that's how I think I get my chance to play sometimes. They obviously see something that the manager doesn't see but ultimately it's the manager who picks the team."
As for Bafana Bafana, McCarthy rejected a suggestion that he still had something to prove to their fans after so many difficulties over the years.
He said: "I don't think I have a point to prove but I owe it to myself to be at the World Cup. I got into the game to play at the highest level and they don't come any bigger than this. Things haven't been going great so there is a lot of pressure on the team but I feel it is a good time to come back and try to make a difference."
He added: "Playing for the national team is the biggest honour in the game - everyone is really proud and happy to be here. This is probably the biggest year in our football careers so no one is going to mess about by not playing for the country."
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