Marouane Fellaini of Belgium will hang up his boots at the end of the season, Shandong Taishan's head coach Choi Kang-hee of South Korea confirmed on Friday.

"Though with some regret, I respect his decision to retire. He is a very great player," Choi said at a press conference before his side's match with Henan FC in their final Chinese Super League game of this season at home on Saturday.

"Maybe due to his age, his every post-game recovery was rather painstaking, which usually took one day or two," Choi said of the 35-year-old former Belgian international.

The Shandong side will hold a farewell ceremony for Fellaini after their Henan match.

The former Manchester United player has made 139 appearances, scored 50 goals and contributed 12 assists for the Shandong team since he joined them in February 2019.