Chelsea skipper John Terry has admitted that he is keen to match the longevity of Manchester United great Ryan Giggs.
The centre-back confirmed that he has been taking extra steps in his physical preparation in order to extend his career at the top level.
“I’m hoping to carry on as long as possible,” the defender began, speaking to Sky Sports News [as per Reuters], “there’s an opportunity, you see with players like Giggs, of playing until a very big age.”
The Manchester United player continued in an active role in the United first team until the season before last, as he replaced David Moyes as the interim coach at Old Trafford when he was already 40.
34-year-old Terry showed little signs of slowing last season, despite his age, and remained an indomitable presence in the heart of the Pensioners’ backline.
Indeed, his understanding and relationship with Gary Cahill was a key factor in the Blues’ strong domestic season, with the defensive duo proving to be a backbone of Jose Mourinho’s title-winning side.
The ex-England captain revealed that he has been putting in the extra hours in order to maintain his peak conditioning and to extend his career at the top for as long as possible.
“In the last four or five years I’ve done a lot of extra work, not just at the training ground,” he continued, “putting the effort in the gym, training ground, off the pitch and eat the right food.”
The defender was an ever-present in the league last season, making 38 starts and racking up 3420 minutes of action. He scored five goals, and it was telling that Chelsea conceded only 32 goals—the best of any team in the top flight.
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However, Mourinho has shown that he is not afraid to call time on the careers of ageing players—he wasn’t slow to relegate Petr Cech to the bench—and his pursuit of John Stones [The Guardian] could be considered as evidence that he is planning for a post-Terry future.
The presence of Kurt Zouma—acquired last season from Saint-Etienne [Independent]—could also be seen as a contingency plan for when Chelsea’s long-serving skipper begins to show some wear and tear.