Former Chelsea captain John Terry has 'aspirations to be a manager' - but not yet

Ex-England defender and captain has returned to Aston Villa as assistant manager weeks after announcing his retirement

Soccer Football - Championship - Aston Villa - Dean Smith Press Conference - Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain - October 15, 2018   Aston Villa manager Dean Smith (C) alongside assistant managers Richard O'Kelly (L) and John Terry (R) after the press conference   Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
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John Terry has set his sights on a future in management, but the former Chelsea captain is happy to bide his time.

Terry announced his retirement from playing earlier this month, calling time on a 20-year career that saw him become Chelsea's most successful ever captain before spending one season with Aston Villa in the Championship.

The former England defender has returned to Villa as assistant to new manager Dean Smith, and he is aiming to build up his experience before becoming a manager himself in the near future.

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"I have aspirations to be a manager one day," Terry, 37, told the BBC. "But that is in four or five years. I'm nowhere near the finished article.

"I am still building my ideas and my philosophy."

When Terry does eventually step into management, he will join a host of contemporaries from his Premier League heyday, including former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard - now the Derby County manager.

Steven Gerrard, the former Liverpool captain and current Rangers manager, and ex-Arsenal striker Thierry Henry, who recently took the reins at Monaco, are other notable members from Terry's era to have taken managerial roles.

While Terry is keen to take on a top job one day, he says he was stunned at the work that goes in behind the scenes.

"Even my first day was a real eye-opener for me - as a player you don't realise the depth and the amount of work that goes on," said Terry, who won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups, three League Cups, the 2013 Europa League and 2012 Uefa Champions League at Chelsea.

Villa, who sit 15th in the Championship, host Swansea City on Saturday.