Nicolas Anelka has said his time as manager of Mumbai City could soon be over, accusing his side of lacking fighting spirit after they missed out on an Indian Super League semifinal place.
Anelka, 36, was named as the club's player-boss in July, but with two games to play they are now out of contention for a place in the last four.
The former Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City striker's side are second bottom of the eight-team league following a 1-1 draw with basement team Kerala Blasters on Thursday.
"I don't think I will come back," he said at a postmatch press conference. "You have to speak to the team management. The target was to reach the semifinals and the target has not been met, so I don't think so.
"The main reason behind the poor run of the team is lack of fighting spirit. The way we played, we don't deserve to be in the semis.
"We can't blame anybody. We lacked the desire to win."
However, Anelka did not rule out continuing his career as a player, saying: "I will have to rest and think what I need to do for the future."
According to the Indian Express, Anelka has had difficult working relationships with former Crystal Palace and Bolton player Andre Moritz, who has since left, and Indian striker Sunil Chhetri.
The former France international also missed out on the playoffs with the club as a player last year, when he scored twice in seven matches.