Aston Villa captain John Terry has decided to leave the club this summer after Steve Bruce’s team failed in the bid for Premier League promotion.

The 37-year old defender joined the Midlands club on a one-year deal last summer after spending 19 years at Chelsea and was promptly made captain.

His last game for Aston Villa proved to be Saturday’s play-off final loss to Fulham and It was his 36th appearance of the season.

While confirming his exit, John Terry said: “I will look back on my time here and think about how close we were to reaching our goal.”

“I have given my everything this year both on and off the pitch and I’m still hurting today that we never managed to get back to the Premier League, where this club 100% belongs.” he added.

Aston Villa manager Bruce, who played a major role in Terry’s transfer to Villa Park and presently has an unclear future, said: “I am extremely disappointed we’re not in a position to keep John. As you might expect, he was fantastic both on and off the pitch. He will be a massive miss.”

In a statement, the club said “John is a true leader and was everything and more that we hoped. Hugely popular and influential in the dressing room, he played a real captain’s role in creating the incredible bond the players shared with our supporters, and vice-versa.”