Stiliyan Petrov will not be offered Aston Villa playing deal
Villa have confirmed Stiliyan Petrov will not be offered a playing contract - though the former skipper will be given the chance to stay with the club.
The 37-year-old had spent pre-season with Villa in a bid to resume his playing career following a three-year battle with leukaemia.
Petrov had been hopeful of earning a new deal at Villa Park but new boss Roberto Di Matteo has decided the Bulgarian is not part of his plans.
However, the Italian has offered Petrov the chance to remain at the club in a different, as yet unspecified, non-playing role.
Di Matteo said: "Stiliyan is an inspiration to all of us.
"I have spoken to him and explained my thoughts and offered him the chance to remain at the club.
"Stiliyan is going to discuss this with his family before coming back to us."
Petrov was forced to retire from the game after being diagnosed with leukaemia in March 2012, subsequently undergoing three years of chemotherapy as part of his treatment.
After spending the second half of last season training with Villa's under-21s he announced in April his intention to return to the professional game. During pre-season at Villa, Petrov took part in every training session and featured in matches against GAK Graz and Worcester City.
