"The offer was amazing financially and we were both said let's have a crack and see what happens [in the UAE], and it was maybe the Premier League's not for me."

Holman admits it was a lifelong goal to play in the Premier League, but he does regret not staying in England.

"It was a dream," the 36-year-old said.

"It was amazing. You ticked a box, that was one of my goals, and it was a big box. It was definitely one of those dreams coming true.

"I don't regret moving to the UAE because I had an absolutely amazing time there. But I do regret not staying in the Premier League, or maybe waiting it out and trying to see if somebody else came in.

"With the discussion that we had I knew it wasn't going to be a happy place at Villa, which is a shame because I actually loved the club, even though it was only for one year.

"But maybe instead of maybe overrushing you could have just waited it out and put the feelers out for any other interest. I didn't do that - that's something I do regret because I do believe I could have made a good dent in that league."