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Stiliyan Petrov has said he will not return to football after Aston Villa opted not to give him a new deal. Petrov, who retired from playing after contracting leukaemia in 2013, had been training with Villa at their preseason camp in Austria as he targeted a return. But the 37-year-old former Bulgaria and Villa captain was not given a playing deal, although he was offered another role with the club. He told Kanal 3 television in Bulgaria: "There will be no comebacks. My return to professional football has failed, but I will explain the reasons at a later stage. "I am glad I was able to come back and do a preseason, but sometimes things do not work out the way we want." He said he could go on to become a manager in Bulgaria at some stage, but added: "I do not want to rush. I have a lot of proposals. Now I want to devote my time to my family." Villa boss Roberto Di Matteo, speaking after confirming that Petrov would not get a new deal, told the club's official website: "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 made 219 appearances for Villa's senior team after joining from Celtic in 2006.
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