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Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has labelled club captain John Terry as "the best centre-back in English football" ahead of Wednesday's night trip to Leicester

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho: John Terry is ‘the best centre-back in English football’

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has labelled club captain John Terry as "the best centre-back in English football" ahead of Wednesday's night trip to Leicester.

Terry, who has made over 630 starting appearances for the West London club since starting out as a trainee in 1997, was named in the PFA's team of the year on Sunday night alongside Blues defenders Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic.

Although Mourinho was reluctant to compare Terry to defenders of previous generations, he was certain the former England captain is the best centre-half of his era.

"In this generation, I think he is the best centre-back in English football as he has so many international caps and so many titles with Chelsea," said Mourinho.

"He is also a good goalscorer for a central defender and the team is always well organised when he is playing.

"The two seasons prior to my arrival, he was not seen as an important part of the Chelsea team. He was not really playing, only sometimes on the bench, and you were anticipating his departure.

"However, last season was good for him and in my opinion he has been even better this season."

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