Wigan Athletic made the decision to release Dan Gardner last month.
Wigan Athletic brought him in last season to inject some experience into their youthful squad.
However, Gardner has now parted company with the Latics and is weighing up his next move.
The midfielder moved to the DW Stadium in October last year and made 40 appearances in all competitions in the last campaign.
Read: Wigan Athletic set to sign Portsmouth defender
Gardner has told Wigan Today: “I’d go straight back to Wigan tomorrow if I could. Being with the kids every day is much harder than playing football, believe me!
“Seriously I’ll have a few days off, have a bit of a rest, but I’m ready to get back into it, wherever that may be.”
Gardner played a key role in Wigan staying up in League One under Leam Richardson and their choice not to extend his deal may have surprised a few of their fans.
He is an experienced player in the Football League and has racked up over 350 appearances in his career.
The Manchester-born man had spells with Celtic, Crewe Alexandra, Droylsden and FC Halifax Town before Chesterfield signed him in 2014.
He became a key player for the Spirerites and played 110 games for them over four years under Paul Cook and Richardson.
Read: Ex-Wigan Athletic man wanted by Celtic
Gardner then played for Oldham Athletic from 2017 to 2019 and made 74 appearances for the League Two before getting injured.
The Latics let him go in 2019 and he ended up moving to Wigan after a brief spell at Salford City.
Gardner will now be weighing up his next move in the game.
