Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has heaped praise his assistant John Terry, as reported by Mail Online.
The former England international made his debut in the dugout alongside Smith on Saturday as Villa edged past Swansea City.
Since the duo were appointed, questions regarding whether Terry would pose a threat to Smith have been raised but were shrugged off by the Villa boss.
The doubts have been further silenced by Terry’s seemingly seamless transition into coaching and the praise he has received from Smith:
“John Terry has had a big input.
“We’ve worked hard on defending without the ball and defending our penalty box.
“JT has worked with us. He’s been at the top level and international level so he certainly knows his stuff.”
The former Brentford boss was also quick to reassure supporters that Terry is more than just a motivator:
“No, he coaches.
“He passes on tips that he has learned in the game. We’ve worked very well together and hopefully that will continue.”
On-loan forward Tammy Abraham notched the winning goal in Smith’s first game, netting in the eighth minute to put the hosts ahead. The England international expressed his frustration at the dismissal of Steve Bruce but has impressed the new man at the helm:
“He’s a handful, and he’ll know better than me that he should be walking a way with the matchball tonight.
“But he scored the winning goal, he’s a hell of a talent.”
The Villains will travel to Carrow Road tomorrow to take on Norwich City, who currently occupy sixth place in the Championship.
