Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has revealed he thought John Terry was more likely to go down the management route than Frank Lampard.
Ex-England international Lampard is currently managing Championship side Derby, and has guided the Rams to a play-off final against Aston Villa, where Terry is currently working as an assistant coach.
Both have had good seasons at their respective clubs, and have been touted for more prominent management roles in the future, although Hasselbaink believes Terry, who has been linked with the Middlesbrough vacancy, was always the more likely one of the pair to become a manager.
The Dutchman, who has managed the likes of Northampton Town and QPR since hanging up his boots, told us-bookies.com : “I always saw John Terry going into management a little more than Frank Lampard.
“Don’t get me wrong, Frank was a leader but he was quieter. You could see he was a born leader. You don’t have to be loud to be a leader and he just did the right things, at the right times, in the right way.
“He’s doing well at Derby and JT is in a different role at Villa. They’re both going for it and doing it in their own way. It’s going to be an interesting final between their two sides.
“I don’t think management is the next step for JT.
“He’s at the right place, with the right manager (Dean Smith) and the right person as well, who will give him room to express himself. It’s only good for his education and development to be where he is now.”
Both Lampard and Terry have been linked with the Chelsea job, amid uncertainty over the future of current Stamford Bridge boss Maurizio Sarri.
The Italian has been repeatedly criticised this season by fans for not including more youth-team players in his squad, while his tactical decisions have also been questioned and goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga also refused to be substituted in the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City in February.
Hasselbaink believes that, if Sarri was to lose his job at Chelsea, club legend Lampard would be more likely to be his replacement than former captain Terry: “If Chelsea get a transfer ban, I can see why they’d go for Frank Lampard. But let’s not forget there’s a manager in place at the moment who hasn’t had a bad year.
“It’s been difficult, but not bad.
“If they hire Frank, they will need to give him time.
“But I can understand why they want to go for him, and he’s with former Chelsea youth coach Jody Morris who knows all of the young players so I can see why. They would need to give him time to implement his way.”
Sarri still has at least one more game in charge of Chelsea, as they take on Arsenal in next week’s Europa League final, while Lampard and Terry will be focusing on preparing their respective sides for the Championship play-off final on Monday.
Be the first to comment