Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov has ended speculation about his future by signing a new four-year contract.

The Bulgaria international had only 12 months remaining of his current deal and recently intimated sorting out fellow midfielder Gareth Barry's future would have a big bearing on his own decision. However, the club's player of the year has put pen to paper on a deal that will keep him at Villa Park until the end of the 2012/13 campaign.

Petrov initially struggled to make an impact after becoming manager Martin O'Neill's first major signing in August 2006 in a £6.5 million switch from Celtic.

He was even dropped for a spell last season and admitted he had failed to live up to expectations. However, this season Petrov has been effective in a holding role which has allowed Barry more licence to go forward.