Stiliyan Petrov will remain Aston Villa captain, manager Gerard Houllier has confirmed.
The 31-year-old midfielder was handed the armband by former boss Martin O’Neill when Gareth Barry left for Manchester City two years ago.
And there had been speculation that new boss Houllier could opt for somebody else to skipper his side.
But the Frenchman has now confirmed: “I won’t change captain. The captain is not only the leader on the field. He is a leader by example.
“He knows what we want to do anyway. I prefer to rely on a group of leaders, two or three players – not only one person.
“One can be the technical leader, one can be the energiser, one can be the captain.”