Sutton joined Villa in October 2006

Sutton, 34, missed the last five months of the season with an eye problem and is waiting to hear from specialists before deciding whether to retire.

But Villa boss Martin O'Neill told the club website: "He doesn't want to make a definite decision yet.

"There's no rush, he can talk it over with his family and see how things stand later this summer."

I believe it was no coincidence that his non-playing coincided with our very poor run Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill

The former Chelsea, Blackburn and Celtic forward was brought to Villa Park on a free transfer in October and made a good impression in eight appearances.

O'Neill added: "I think we missed him badly when he got injured.

"He gave us that quality we needed and I believe it was no coincidence that his non-playing coincided with our very poor run."

Sutton's season was curtailed when he suffered blurred vision in December's home game against Manchester United.

Last month O'Neill explained: "Chris has got a genuine concern.

"No-one can give him any guarantees about what might be the consequences if he got cracked on the head again.

"Whatever eyesight Chris has now, he would obviously want to keep, so he must bear that in mind when deciding his whole future and career."