Cesar Azpilicueta on John Terry contract: I don't know what's happening – but he’ll always give everything for Chelsea

Cesar Azpilicueta is confident Chelsea captain John Terry's contract dispute with the club won't have a negative impact on the rest of the club's season.

Terry claims he's been told by the board that he won't be given a new contract and will have to leave at the end of the season. Chelsea say that's not the case and 'dialogue is still open'.

However, speaking after the 1-1 draw against Manchester United yesterday, Terry revealed there is currently no communication between him and the club.

Azpilicueta isn't concerned about the issue effecting Terry's form or that of the team.

He told Standard Sport: "It's a situation between him and the club. I don't know what's happening.

"But since I arrived at Chelsea I have learnt a lot from him. I have played alongside him on the left for most of the time, even in training.

"For me, I see no difference in the way he's performing on the pitch, the way he's playing and he is giving everything for the team as always."

Chelsea will discover today if defender Kurt Zouma is going to miss the rest of the campaign after being carried off on a stretcher due to a knee injury. It is feared he has suffered ligament damage.

Azpilicueta is hoping it's not as bad as first feared, but feels they can cope due to having England international Gary Cahill to call upon.

Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player Ratings 23 show all Chelsea vs Manchester United: Player Ratings 1/23 Who stood out at Stamford Bridge? 2/23 Thibaut Courtois: 7 A fine save from Martial in the first half might have been his only moment of note in the first half, but it was crucial at a time when United were well on top. He continued his fine work in the second half, making a superb double save early on. 3/23 Branislav Ivanovic: 5 Perhaps that revival is not all it was played up to be, as time and again Ivanovic struggled to tame Martial, allowing him to cut infield and make chances. 4/23 John Terry: 6 Despite United’s dominance this was a relatively quiet game for Terry, with the lack of an identifiable centre-forward meaning that the burden of defensive work fell on those further ahead of him. 5/23 Kurt Zouma: 7



(Sub) Gary Cahill: 6

Had few opportunities to make his mark on the game after being introduced for Zouma.

Did not put a foot wrong throughout his 55 minutes in defence, often having to step in to cover for Ivanovic when Martial got in behind. Stretchered off early in the second half, his absence could be a real blow for Hiddink.Had few opportunities to make his mark on the game after being introduced for Zouma. 6/23 Cesar Azpilicueta: 6 Could do nothing about Lingard’s superb goal and generally held things together nicely on the left-flank, getting forward on a number of occasions to combine with Oscar. 7/23 John Obi Mikel: 5 Struggled to get much of a hold on Juan Mata in the first-half, with the playmaker frequently finding space between the lines. At his best he has been quietly effective for Hiddink, today his ineffectiveness spoke volumes when United came forward. 8/23 Nemanja Matic: 6 Put in sterling work bridging the growing gap between defence and attack, passing the ball with accuracy and purpose. Went close with a header from a corner and was impressive before being sacrificed in search of an equaliser.



(Sub) Pedro: 5

Whenever he had the chance to whip in a cross he showed an unerring ability to fire it straight into Borthwick-Jackson. If anything his deployment on the right stunted Chelsea’s attacking game as they had previously been finding chances on that flank through Willian.

9/23 Willian: 7 By far Chelsea’s most impressive player in a misfiring opening period, driving past Borthwick-Jackson on several occasions and putting in dangerous balls on a regular basis. He did not deserve the blame for Chelsea’s misfiring in front of goal. 10/23 Cesc Fabregas: 5 Utterly anonymous for most of the match, Fabregas was forced to drop ever deeper early on in a desperate attempt to have some sort of influence on the game. It did not work out. 11/23 Oscar: 6 Flitted around dangerously from what was nominally a berth on the left flank. However his performance was let down by a lack of precision in the box, where he should have at least tested the keeper when played through by Azpilicueta on the half hour mark.



(Sub) Eden Hazard: 5

Briefly flickered into life in his first few moments on the pitch, but never offered any evidence that he would be the game-changing force that he was in the same fixture last year. Where he previously brought Chelsea out of mediocrity now he is merely wallowing in it.

12/23 Diego Costa: 7 An intelligent display from Costa, who drifted out to wide areas as he looked to exploit the relatively static pairing of Smalling and Blind. That did, however, leave him out of the action when crosses came in and unable to influence the course of the game, until its dying moments, when he showed utter composure to round the keeper and claim an equaliser. 13/23 David De Gea: 7 Before United took the lead he had enjoyed something of a relaxing day. When Chelsea did stream forward he stood firm, making a save from Ivanovic’s thundercrack of a volley that seemed destined for the top corner. 14/23 Matteo Darmian: 8 Dealt with anyone that attempted to attack down the right with utter ease, with the way he robbed the ball from Costa on more than one occasion particularly impressive. He may not be the most attacking of full-backs but he provides such solidity as to make it worthwhile. 15/23 Chris Smalling: 7 Grew into the game as his opponents did, clearing everything that crossed his path. Four headers won, two tackles if not a clean sheet. 16/23 Daley Blind: 6 Set the tone for battle with Costa early on by easing him off the ball, and in truth the centre-back was rarely tested defensively. His delivery from set-pieces did leave quite a lot to be desired though, as just one of his 10 corners in the first half provided a real chance. 17/23 Cameron Borthwick-Jackson: 6 Though Willian was still able to expose defensive deficiencies in his game there was plenty of encouragement for Van Gaal to take in the way that the 19-year-old got forward, particularly in his contribution to the opening goal. 18/23 Michael Carrick: 7 United look far more convincing with Carrick’s composure in their engine room as he dictates the course of encounters and provides that one component that has been so missing at times, forward thrust. Played a crucial role in crafting United’s opener. 19/23 Marouane Fellaini: 6 It was a strange performance from Fellaini, who impressed with his passing and delicate touches on the deck. But with all the opportunities United had to test their hosts from set-plays it was surprising to see just how little impact Fellaini had in the penalty area. 20/23 Jesse Lingard: 7 There were flashes from the United winger, as in a subtle step over to release Darmian in the first half, but nothing to suggest the immaculate strike with which he would open the scoring. A swivel and volley worthy of lighting up any game. 21/23 Anthony Martial: 7 Menacing, direct, purposeful and confident: Martial was everything that for the large periods of the contest this game was not. Deserved a goal after crafting several chances for himself. 22/23 Juan Mata: 7 In the opening half hour Mata made United the game’s major attacking force, his range of passing and ability to make the right decision giving his side something Chelsea lacked with the stuttering Fabregas. 23/23 Wayne Rooney: 6 An assist capped a decent, if not spectacular, performance from the captain. Rooney kept dropping deep intelligently; he wasn’t going to outmuscle Terry, Zouma or Cahill but in leaving them with no-one to mark he added to United’s attacking threat. 1/23 Who stood out at Stamford Bridge? 2/23 Thibaut Courtois: 7 A fine save from Martial in the first half might have been his only moment of note in the first half, but it was crucial at a time when United were well on top. He continued his fine work in the second half, making a superb double save early on. 3/23 Branislav Ivanovic: 5 Perhaps that revival is not all it was played up to be, as time and again Ivanovic struggled to tame Martial, allowing him to cut infield and make chances. 4/23 John Terry: 6 Despite United’s dominance this was a relatively quiet game for Terry, with the lack of an identifiable centre-forward meaning that the burden of defensive work fell on those further ahead of him. 5/23 Kurt Zouma: 7



(Sub) Gary Cahill: 6

Had few opportunities to make his mark on the game after being introduced for Zouma.

Did not put a foot wrong throughout his 55 minutes in defence, often having to step in to cover for Ivanovic when Martial got in behind. Stretchered off early in the second half, his absence could be a real blow for Hiddink.Had few opportunities to make his mark on the game after being introduced for Zouma. 6/23 Cesar Azpilicueta: 6 Could do nothing about Lingard’s superb goal and generally held things together nicely on the left-flank, getting forward on a number of occasions to combine with Oscar. 7/23 John Obi Mikel: 5 Struggled to get much of a hold on Juan Mata in the first-half, with the playmaker frequently finding space between the lines. At his best he has been quietly effective for Hiddink, today his ineffectiveness spoke volumes when United came forward. 8/23 Nemanja Matic: 6 Put in sterling work bridging the growing gap between defence and attack, passing the ball with accuracy and purpose. Went close with a header from a corner and was impressive before being sacrificed in search of an equaliser.



(Sub) Pedro: 5

Whenever he had the chance to whip in a cross he showed an unerring ability to fire it straight into Borthwick-Jackson. If anything his deployment on the right stunted Chelsea’s attacking game as they had previously been finding chances on that flank through Willian.

9/23 Willian: 7 By far Chelsea’s most impressive player in a misfiring opening period, driving past Borthwick-Jackson on several occasions and putting in dangerous balls on a regular basis. He did not deserve the blame for Chelsea’s misfiring in front of goal. 10/23 Cesc Fabregas: 5 Utterly anonymous for most of the match, Fabregas was forced to drop ever deeper early on in a desperate attempt to have some sort of influence on the game. It did not work out. 11/23 Oscar: 6 Flitted around dangerously from what was nominally a berth on the left flank. However his performance was let down by a lack of precision in the box, where he should have at least tested the keeper when played through by Azpilicueta on the half hour mark.



(Sub) Eden Hazard: 5

Briefly flickered into life in his first few moments on the pitch, but never offered any evidence that he would be the game-changing force that he was in the same fixture last year. Where he previously brought Chelsea out of mediocrity now he is merely wallowing in it.

12/23 Diego Costa: 7 An intelligent display from Costa, who drifted out to wide areas as he looked to exploit the relatively static pairing of Smalling and Blind. That did, however, leave him out of the action when crosses came in and unable to influence the course of the game, until its dying moments, when he showed utter composure to round the keeper and claim an equaliser. 13/23 David De Gea: 7 Before United took the lead he had enjoyed something of a relaxing day. When Chelsea did stream forward he stood firm, making a save from Ivanovic’s thundercrack of a volley that seemed destined for the top corner. 14/23 Matteo Darmian: 8 Dealt with anyone that attempted to attack down the right with utter ease, with the way he robbed the ball from Costa on more than one occasion particularly impressive. He may not be the most attacking of full-backs but he provides such solidity as to make it worthwhile. 15/23 Chris Smalling: 7 Grew into the game as his opponents did, clearing everything that crossed his path. Four headers won, two tackles if not a clean sheet. 16/23 Daley Blind: 6 Set the tone for battle with Costa early on by easing him off the ball, and in truth the centre-back was rarely tested defensively. His delivery from set-pieces did leave quite a lot to be desired though, as just one of his 10 corners in the first half provided a real chance. 17/23 Cameron Borthwick-Jackson: 6 Though Willian was still able to expose defensive deficiencies in his game there was plenty of encouragement for Van Gaal to take in the way that the 19-year-old got forward, particularly in his contribution to the opening goal. 18/23 Michael Carrick: 7 United look far more convincing with Carrick’s composure in their engine room as he dictates the course of encounters and provides that one component that has been so missing at times, forward thrust. Played a crucial role in crafting United’s opener. 19/23 Marouane Fellaini: 6 It was a strange performance from Fellaini, who impressed with his passing and delicate touches on the deck. But with all the opportunities United had to test their hosts from set-plays it was surprising to see just how little impact Fellaini had in the penalty area. 20/23 Jesse Lingard: 7 There were flashes from the United winger, as in a subtle step over to release Darmian in the first half, but nothing to suggest the immaculate strike with which he would open the scoring. A swivel and volley worthy of lighting up any game. 21/23 Anthony Martial: 7 Menacing, direct, purposeful and confident: Martial was everything that for the large periods of the contest this game was not. Deserved a goal after crafting several chances for himself. 22/23 Juan Mata: 7 In the opening half hour Mata made United the game’s major attacking force, his range of passing and ability to make the right decision giving his side something Chelsea lacked with the stuttering Fabregas. 23/23 Wayne Rooney: 6 An assist capped a decent, if not spectacular, performance from the captain. Rooney kept dropping deep intelligently; he wasn’t going to outmuscle Terry, Zouma or Cahill but in leaving them with no-one to mark he added to United’s attacking threat.

He added: "Gary is one of the veterans of the team. We know his quality and in this squad, it is always important to be ready. We need everybody, we have big games coming up and all of us have to be ready.

"Kurt got injured when he landed. I didn't see it live, but we hope to have him back on the pitch soon.

"He is a young player but has been doing really well for us this season. It's his second year with the club and he has been improving with every game."

Chelsea have now drawn home League matches in a row under interim manager Guus Hiddink. Diego Costa scored Chelsea's equaliser in injury time yesterday to cancel out Jesse Lingard's strike for Manchester United.