Former England midfielder David Bentley has retired from football aged 29, insisting the game has become “robotic and boring.”

Bentley, who was once dubbed the natural heir to David Beckham because of his ability to cross the ball, played for seven different professional clubs including Tottenham, where he moved for £15 million in 2008.

The former Arsenal trainee struggled to establish himself at White Hart Lane, however, and was sent on loan to Birmingham, West Ham, FC Rostov and Blackburn before being released last year.

“I’ve fallen out of love with the game,” Bentley said.

“It’s over a year since I played my last game and I felt like it was time to call it a day.

“The game has changed a lot — when I first started playing it was more about enjoying it, you went into work every day and it was brilliant.

“Now it’s a little bit robotic — with the social media side of it and the money that has come into the game — I hate to say it but it’s made it boring, it’s made it predictable and a bit too calculated.

“To sign on for another four or five years into that isn’t really an option for me.

“Life’s full of ifs and buts but I’m happy with the way my career went. There were some highs and some lows.”

Bentley’s 12-year career included seven caps for England.