Terry to play on if Aston Villa win promotion

John Terry says he will seek to play on for at least one more season if Aston Villa can win promotion back to the Premier League.

Under Terry’s captaincy, Villa secured a place in the play-offs, where they will face Middlesbrough in the first leg on Saturday.

Former England skipper Terry signed a one-year deal when he joined Villa, explaining he opted not to join a Premier League club so he would not have to face Chelsea, where he spent 22 years.

The 37-year-old, however, appears to have changed his mind as he seeks to prolong his playing career with further top-flight campaigns.

“I hope this isn’t the end,” Terry told the Villa website. “If we go up, I’m staying. And hopefully I can play for a few more years in the Premier League.

“It’s only fair that if we go up, which is the belief within the group, that I stick around. It’s in my contract when I hit a certain number of matches.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it here and love the way I’ve been accepted. I had to perform to get the approval of the fans and the group, and it was a big call by the manager [Steve Bruce], too, to sign someone at 36 years of age and coming to the end of their career. 

“The job isn’t done yet. We’ve got a few more games to go. But hopefully I am here next season.”

“If we go up, I’m staying!”

JT talks us through his best photos from this season in our new series, ‘Photobooth’

Full vid  https://t.co/qpqbpxEpCj#PartOfThePride #AVFC pic.twitter.com/N3Ku8apOV2

— Aston Villa FC (@AVFCOfficial) May 10, 2018