‘Disappointed in myself’: John Terry now feels he let two players down at Chelsea during his time as captain

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Former Chelsea captain John Terry does not think he did enough to help Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.

Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah both struggled at Stamford Bridge but have gone on to have successful careers at Manchester City and Liverpool respectively.

And John Terry, speaking on The Obi One Podcast, has admitted that he should have done more to help both players settle in at Chelsea.

The former England defender was, of course, Chelsea skipper during their spells in west London.

John Terry disappointed after De Bruyne and Salah failures

Terry feels guilty for failing to help De Bruyne and Salah to reach their potential at Stamford Bridge.

Discussing the City and Liverpool stars on The Obi One Podcast, the Chelsea legend said: “They needed probably 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, to the levels they’ve gone, I’m disappointed in myself as captain. And I think that’s a regret that I have and I’ll never be able to replace again.”

Jose Mourinho deserves most of the blame

At the end of the day, as captain, there was only so much Terry could have actually done.

It was Mourinho’s responsibility, as manager at the time, to get the best out of De Bruyne and Salah and give them opportunities.

It is clear that both players had a lot of potential; otherwise, they would not have been bought and then integrated into Chelsea’s first team at their young ages.

For whatever reason, though, Mourinho refused to give them many opportunities and did not tap into the potential that they had in the end.

The 60-year-old still went on to win one Premier League title in his second spell at Stamford Bridge. But if he thought about the long-term and actually tried to develop the likes of De Bruyne, Salah and Romelu Lukaku, there is a good chance that he could have bagged more when you look at the players each of those three have become.

It is a lesson for Chelsea. Do not be too quick to give up on young players and continue to give them time.