WALES manager mark Hughes insists he has no intention of retiring from playing to concentrate full time on being boss of the national side.

The Blackburn striker has had a difficult first two years in control, winning just two of 15 matches.

There are constant appeals for him to give up the Premiership and devote all his time to Wales.

But after returning from the frustrating 3-2 defeat in Norway, where Wales had led twice and controlled the match for over an hour, Hughes said: "I won't be packing in playing. I'd go mad if I didn't have the escape of playing football. I haven't considered that."

Hughes still has one season left on his contract at Ewood Park, and is expected to retire next summer to then put all his energies into Wales' European Championship campaign over the following two years of his Welsh contract.

And it is clear from Hughes' spirited defence of his two years in control - that he has every intention of seeing the job through.

Walking away, he claims, hasn't entered his mind. And he outlined the sort of problems all previous Wales managers have had and all in the future will have to contend with.

With such small resources and fewer than 20 Premiership players at his disposal, Hughes knows he cannot contend with huge losses through injury.

Hughes said: "The players I had out against Norway gave me a marvellous performance and in comparison with the opposition we had one player with Champions League experience and they had eight."

Hughes will be without the suspended Ryan Giggs and Robbie Savage for the last World Cup group game against Belarus next month in Cardiff.

Mark Hughes insists he will ask Giggs to captain Wales again - and he knows the Manchester United superstar will accept.

Giggs was sent off for the first time in his career during Wales' 3-2 defeat in Oslo by Norway, after the visitors had led twice in the Ullivaal stadium.