Chelsea assistant boss Ray Wilkins believes skipper John Terry will be regarded by fans with the same legendary status as Gianfranco Zola.

Wilkins said: "If I was to pick one of the current players who might surpass Franco in the future I'd say John Terry.

"John just epitomises what we're about. He's professional, he's a one-club player and I'd imagine in 10 years' time when they have their next poll of greatest ever players, John would be the one who sits at the top."

Wilkins, a Chelsea legend himself, reckons that the current skipper would not be the player he is without Zola's influence.

He said: "What you do as a youngster is get your eye on one of the senior players and think: 'That's how it's done is it?'

"From an early age, John set his eyes on Zola, he picked up on the professionalism of Zola and thankfully we've got the player we've got now.

"If you see how John trains and plays, he has certainly taken that on board, as Gianfranco was the ultimate pro. John is following in those footsteps."