Guus Hiddink has revealed that he is convinced that defensive stalwart John Terry will eventually become Chelsea manager.
The Dutchman, who was appointed on an interim basis following the sacking of Jose Mourinho in December, will leave the club at the end of the season.
While Antonio Conte remains the front-runner to become the latest long-term appointment, as reported by The Express, Hiddink is certain that Terry has the leadership skills and tactical brain to be a success as a manager one day.
“In some players, not just here but in other clubs as well, you see while they are playing that they might be managers inside already,” said Hiddink, as reported by Sky Sports.
“Most of the time in the midfield positions or at centre-back these guys are already leaders in the team. I like it always as a manager, players who you can make your plan with to execute things on the pitch.
“In my own younger career, I also had other examples of that – players who are now good managers. I had in my first spell with PSV Eindhoven, Ronald Koeman. You could see he was already a very tactically strong leader, of course.
“Quique Sanchez Flores, I had in Valencia. These players think how a team can play and they have their ideas as well.”
However, Terry faces an uncertain end to his playing career given that he is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer with his contract set to expire.
With no suggestion that an agreement over a renewal is imminent, he may well opt to continue playing outside of England, before then embarking on a career in coaching.
Hiddink added that he believes the 35-year-old should gain experience as part of another manager’s backroom staff first, as opposed to walking into a head coaching job immediately.
The former PSV and Valencia boss believes that the process will help in preparing his future sides in training both physically and tactically, while it will also allow him to gain first-hand experience of how delicate and subtle tactical changes in games can effect the entire outcome.
In turn, while Hiddink believes that Terry has all the other characteristics to be a successful manager, if he adds experience to his talents, then it could lead to a great career on the sidelines.