Former Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has insisted that he never felt worried about the club being relegated from the Premier League.

The Villans' survival was secured on Tuesday night as Wigan Athletic dropped into the Championship with a 4-1 defeat at Arsenal.

Despite an uncertain season at Villa Park, Petrov claims that he always had faith in the side's youngsters.

"I wasn't really worried," the Bulgarian told Sky Sports News. "I believe in these boys. I have seen them in training and have seen the way the manager works.

"The last couple of months have been very good and I think they deserve to be in the Premier League."

Petrov announced his retirement from football last week following a successful battle against acute leukaemia.