Marcel Desailly insists John Terry is the ideal man to lead Chelsea.

Despite his injury problems and ruck with Blues assistant coach Henk ten Cate, Terry is Chelsea's ideal captain, says ex-teammate Desailly.

The French World Cup winner told the Mirror: "John took the challenge to play alongside a World Cup winner and showed plenty of motivation and determination to succeed. He is a great guy, he epitomises the attitude of a captain and that is why he is so important on the field for Chelsea.

"He is very focused, a hard worker and the sort of player that any manager wants on the field. John has won many trophies with Chelsea and will win even more trophies with Chelsea in the future, I'm sure of that."

Desailly added: "Maybe his body needs a rest but John will find that difficult because he is so committed and such a great captain.

"When you are a captain, you want to set an example that you are a strong, determined character who has the love of the club in his heart. No-one should forget that he is pure Chelsea and they brought him into the club when he was a kid.

"He has grown up with the club and has Chelsea in his heart. He has a great determination and you can never hold him back."