DC UNITED coach Ray Hudson believes America could provide Paul Gascoigne with the perfect sanctuary in which to wind down the last few years of his playing career.
Gascoigne finished last season with Burnley but no new deal was struck at Turf Moor and he will fly out to Washington today to spend a week with the Major League Soccer outfit with a view to making a permanent move across the Atlantic.
"He sounds very, very enthusiastic about it," said Hudson, a fellow Geordie.
"He's very eager to get back to enjoying his football and also get away from the tabloid hysteria as best he can.
"The impression I got is he wants to move on with his life in several areas, and he really wants to enjoy the game again.
"He's seen the way we play here in the United States, he was impressed with our World Cup performance, and he's hoping to really be able to enjoy the last few years of his career.
"By and large Paul Gascoigne is a completely unknown commodity here.
"I've been trying to explain to people Gazza's notoriety and his fame is probably three or four times as big as somebody like Michael Jordan is over here, and they find that incredible.
"He'll be pretty much totally anonymous in the DC area and he'll be able to blend in as a complete unknown.
"George Best went through the same thing here and enjoyed that privacy and lack of notoriety."
Gascoigne's agent Ian Elliott confirmed that the 35-year-old former England midfielder is keen to give it a go in America if the deal is right.
"I just think it is a natural progression for him to take," said Elliott. "He's always said he wanted to play there.
"He may get there and decide it's not for him or he may get there and they may decide he's not for them. But the move does appeal to Paul."
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