Hiddink: Terry will never leave

John Terry will spend the rest of his career with Chelsea, no matter which teams come calling, according to the Blues' temporary manager Guus Hiddink.

Chelsea's John Terry (C) heads the ball during their English Premier League soccer match against Wigan Athletic at Stamford Bridge in London February 28, 2009.    REUTERS/Kieran Doherty   (BRITAIN).  NO ONLINE/INTERNET USAGE WITHOUT A LICENCE FROM THE FOOTBALL DATA CO LTD. FOR LICENCE ENQUIRIES PLEASE TELEPHONE ++44 (0) 207 864 9000.
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John Terry will spend the rest of his career with Chelsea, no matter which teams come calling. That is the opinion Guus Hiddink has formed during his six games in charge of the London club. Manchester City, who visit Chelsea today, are just one of the clubs who have been linked with the Chelsea captain by the English press. The centre-back, 28, has spent his entire career with the Blues and Hiddink is sure the partnership will continue long into the future.

Asked about the possibility of Chelsea being tempted by a colossal bid for their captain, Hiddink said: "There are some players who are brought up within this club and it is difficult to sell them. I can imagine that John Terry will stay until the end of his career. "There is more than money there, there is his history with the club, which is important." Terry's fellow senior players Petr Cech and Michael Ballack have this week joined the growing chorus calling on Hiddink to remain in London beyond the terms of his current agreement, which would see him return to coaching Russia full-time in June.

But the Dutchman has frequ- ently stressed the importance of that role and once again underlined his intention to depart when the season ends. Jokingly referring to the comments of his goalkeeper and midfield playmaker, Hiddink said: "They might change their minds about me when I put them on the bench or not even in the squad. "But there is a good atmosphere of work here and we are very demanding of each other. If they are happy with the way we are working and it's going well with results it's all okay.

"I have been very happy, not just with the regular starters but with all the other players, who I've been watching and observing. Everyone is committed. But I made it very clear a few weeks ago - and again recently - what the future will be [for me] after May 30. I don't have to do that again." Shay Given has warned Manchester City fans not to expect the Blues to leap into England's elite as quickly as Chelsea did.

City visit Stamford Bridge on the back of an improved recent run, culminating in a stylish win over Aalborg on Thursday that has taken them to the brink of a place in the Uefa Cup quarter-finals. City's new owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, has brought quality players to the club and the prospect of silverware after 33 years without a trophy. But a visit to west London is bound to bring reminders that Roman Abramovich had only been in control at Chelsea for two years before he was able to celebrate the first of his two Premier League titles.

"The owners only took over here six months ago," said Given. "Abramovich has been there for a number of years. They were an established team even when he took over. We are still in the early stages of building and it might take a little bit of time. But there is no reason why we cannot look up to them and try to get there." * PA Sport