Aston Villa boss Dean Smith believes that having John Terry on his coaching staff changed the mentality of his players.

Terry has served as assistant manager at Villa since last October.

He helped the team during their promotion charge in the Championship last term. And Smith believes Terry's contribution is invaluable.

"He's very important and I love working with him," Smith told reporters.

"He's brought something different to our coaching set-up, with his knowledge, his experiences.

"He's lifted the Premier League title enough times, as well as the FA Cup and the League Cup. He was a serial winner for Chelsea, so he knows how to win things and that mentality can rub off on people.

"I also feel he's come into his own with us getting promoted into the Premier League. He's getting better and better as a coach.

"I've championed him for a long time, saying he will eventually be a top manager. At the moment he's very keen to keep learning and making a major contribution to Aston Villa, certainly on the coaching pitches."