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Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov has been diagnosed with acute leukaemia, the West Midlands club have announced.
The condition was diagnosed following tests after the Bulgaria international, 32, developed a fever following Saturday's 3-0 defeat at Arsenal.
"We expect to learn more about the situation in due course," Villa said.
"Stiliyan is cherished by many and he will get from Villa every ounce of love and support that we have to help bring this to a positive conclusion."
A club statement added: "During this time we ask that Stiliyan's privacy is placed ahead of all inquiries and trust that we will share information as we receive it."
Petrov joined Villa from Celtic for £6.5m in 2006 and has scored 12 goals in 219 appearances.
He played the full 90 minutes at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, his 30th game of the season.
Aston Villa indicated on Wednesday that Petrov was feeling the affects of a virus.
The news that he was suffering from leukaemia was only confirmed earlier when the results of medical tests became evident.
The former Celtic midfielder booked into a London hospital for immediate treatment on Friday.
BBC