John Terry has admitted that he never foresaw Kevin De Bruyne developing into an elite midfielder during his time at Chelsea.
Speaking on The Obi One Podcast, the retired defender gave his honest insight into having shared a dressing room with the £54 million (Guardian) man.
Now, John Terry has held his hands up and said that he never saw Manchester City talisman Kevin De Bruyne going on to becoming one of the best players in the world.
John Terry admits he never saw Kevin De Bruyne becoming world-class
Branded as ‘majestic’ by the Bundesliga’s official website, the 32-year-old, who is currently injured is regarded by many as the greatest midfielder in Premier League history.
In fact, some would even go as far as to put the Belgian alongside Thierry Henry as the best player to have ever graced the league.
However, when both Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah were at Chelsea, John Terry has admitted that he never saw them hitting such heights in their respective careers.
“Absolutely not. No chance. It’s my one disappointment actually as captain because I think I adapted over time as captain, so I think I softened the later the years went on. I think those early years when those guys were there, I was probably very strong, very disciplined on the group and how we do things”, he reflected.
John Terry added by saying that with both Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah, he should have lend them more of a helping hand as they were both youngsters at the time.
“Actually, that was the first sign where they probably needed an arm around their shoulder, a sit down and a discussion of ‘could I have maybe helped them settle in?’ So, actually from those two players specifically from the levels they’ve gone, I’m disappointed in myself as captain.”
“And I think that’s a regret that I have that I probably wouldn’t be able to replace again. I’m delighted that they’ve gone on to be what they’ve been. But I think on reflection, I would’ve liked to have adapted but Obs [John Obi Mikel], I wouldn’t have said they would’ve gone to the levels they’ve gone to. No chance.”
Ultimately, Chelsea’s loss was Manchester City’s gain as the treble-winner went on to become a legend of the game, as John Terry has acknowledged.
