John Terry served as Dean Smith's Assistant Manager during his tenure at Villa Park
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - MAY 23: John Terry - Assistant Head Coach of Aston Villa prior to the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Chelsea at Villa Park on May 23, 2021 in Birmingham, England. A limited number of fans will be allowed into Premier League stadiums as Coronavirus restrictions begin to ease in the UK following the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
John Terry left Aston Villa in 2018 before hanging up his boots(Image: Visionhaus, Visionhaus/Getty Images)
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John Terry has confessed to still dreaming of managing Chelsea, but is "not sure it will ever happen".
The former Aston Villa player and coach enjoyed a glittering playing career, winning four Premier League titles with the London club,. while also lifting the Champions League trophy and numerous FA Cup honours.
Before bringing the curtain down on his playing career, Terry arrived at Villa Park on a one-year contract in 2017 where he was appointed captain.
He would retire in October the next year and decided to make his first foray into coaching, returning to the Villans where he served as Dean Smith's assistant, before leaving after three years in 2021.
The iconic centre-half was amongst England's 'Golden Generation' of stars, many of whom have made the transition into coaching with their illustrious playing backgrounds opening doors. Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney have both taken on managerial positions, alongside Terry's former teammate Frank Lampard.
Lampard is currently in charge at Coventry City, who sit top of the Sky Bet Championship table, though he was brought in by Chelsea following just one season at the helm of Derby.
Terry, on the other hand, looked to build his credentials, and post-Villa held a coaching consultancy position at Chelsea before a period at Leicester City.
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He's currently operating as an academy coach at Chelsea, but appears to be accepting that the manager's role might remain beyond his reach.
Speaking in a TikTok clip, he said: "I'm not sure it ever happens, to be honest. It's my one last dream I have at the football club. I've done everything at Chelsea.
"And for me now, the one thing that is missing is being the manager of the football club. That's why I went into coaching when I finished playing.
"My idea and dream was to learn my trade a bit. As a player, you retire after 22 years. Listen, 100 per cent, you learn enough to go into management. The level I played at and the managers I played under.
"But it doesn't give you the right you go into management at a certain level. You still have to learn and understand what it takes.
"There's a lot more that goes into the coaching side of it. So I went away and learnt my trade, I had some unbelievable times at Villa, I left Villa to be a number one, I thought I was ready. I think I'd be a really good number one, I enjoyed the coaching side of it."
Terry continued: "I want people around me that are better coaches than me. Then I could lead the dressing room and the team like I did [as a player]. That's what I did for 22 years at the club. I know I'd be good at it.
"Will I ever get the chance? I'm not sure, without doing the other bits. But when people tell you you've not got the experience, it's difficult to fathom."