John Terry has often been tipped as a future Chelsea manager (Picture: Getty)

Chelsea interim boss Rafael Benitez has backed Blues captain John Terry for a managerial role when his playing days end.

The 32-year-old has never made a secret of his desire to obtain his FA coaching badges when he hangs up his boots and now Benitez has backed the vociferous centre-back to take the reins at a club in the future.

‘It is quite possible that John has the good qualities to become a manager,’ the Spaniard said.

‘I have had players in the past who have been big names, but they did not understand the game like him. He likes talking about tactics. He seems as though he understands and with the way he treats the young players and takes care of them.’


John Terry made his return to first team action at the weekend (Picture: Getty Images)

Terry has often been criticised for his vocal nature when he’s not on the pitch, having been spotted barking orders from the bench under former boss Roberto di Matteo.



But his passion could pave the way for him to become a coach or manager at the end of his career, following in the footsteps of similar characters such as Stuart Pearce.

Terry made his first start for the Blues since November in their 2-2 FA Cup draw at Brentford yesterday and Benitez said it was a relief to have his captain back in the side.

‘John is a great player and a great leader,’ Benitez added. ‘Maybe in some games we lacked something like this recently, but John can now be a key player for us for the rest of the season.’