Antonio Conte has reiterated his belief that John Terry is good enough to keep on playing, calling the decision to leave Chelsea this summer “a big loss”.
The 36-year-old was on Monday handed his first Premier League start since September as Watford were downed 4-3 at Stamford Bridge, with the captain scoring the opener.
Despite also gifting the Hornets with an equaliser less than a minute later, Terry completed the full 90 minutes and could feature again when Chelsea finish off their season on Sunday at home against relegated Sunderland.
If he does play, it will be Terry’s final game in a Chelsea shirt with the centre-back having previously expressed his desire to continue playing elsewhere.
But following the Monday night victory, Terry revealed he was pondering retirement rather than extending his player career.
Conte was subsequently asked about the Chelsea skipper’s intentions and, although not directly addressing the comments, the Italian insisted his captain remains good enough to keep on playing.
“First of all I’m looking forward to seeing him lift the trophy and all the players want to see this, he deserves that,” Conte told reporters. “He has made this decision to continue to play regularly and play every game and he prefers to leave Chelsea.
“For us, it’s a big loss for next season. John has helped me a lot on and off the pitch. He always sent the right message in every moment of the season but I have to respect this decision. If you want to play, it’s right.
“John wants to continue to play and I wish for him and his family the best. He’s a great man, a great player and legend for Chelsea. He deserves to play.”
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