Stiliyan Petrov to train with Aston Villa's first team during pre-season
By Ben Reynolds
Last Updated: 23/06/16 12:59pm
Stiliyan Petrov will train with Aston Villa's first team during pre-season, the club has announced. The midfielder, 36, was forced to retire from the game after being diagnosed with acute leukaemia four years ago and undergoing three spells of chemotherapy.But he remained close to Villa during his recovery and trained with the U21 side at the end of last season, saying in April he was hoping to return to professional football."I've told Aston Villa that I'm ready to start a pre-season with them," he said. "Obviously they will always have the first look. "I've been working close to the idea for a year and a half and I've managed to come a long way. I started gradually with slow runs then I moved to five-a-side and then 11-a-side and half a pitch, then Sunday League."
And a statement from Villa on Thursday read: "Aston Villa is pleased to confirm Stiliyan Petrov will take part in pre-season training at first-team level.
"Manager Roberto Di Matteo has revealed the former club captain will travel with the group to Austria as he joins the squad at their training camp."
Petrov, who joined Villa in 2006 from Celtic, made 219 appearances for the club, scoring 12 times.
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