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John Terry happy to learn the ropes under Dean Smith at Aston Villa

John Terry has returned to Villa ready to learn from new boss Dean Smith after insisting his own managerial aspirations remain very much long-term.

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The 37-year-old, back at the club he captained last season as an assistant to head coach Smith, believes it will be “four or five years” before he is ready to take a top job.

Terry, who recently announced his retirement as a player, was initially a candidate to replace Steve Bruce in the Villa Park hotseat following the latter’s dismissal earlier this month.

His inclusion in Smith’s coaching team then initially raised eyebrows but Terry, who officially began work on Monday, claims his primary focus is on learning from Smith and fellow assistant Richard O’Kelly.

He has also confirmed he has no plans to return to playing, despite Villa currently suffering from something of a defensive crisis.

Terry told BBC Five Live: “Obviously I have aspirations to be a manager one day. But that is four or five years away for me. I am very keen to learn and I have two great people to learn from who have a wealth of experience.”

He continued: “It is more intimidating for me (than Dean). I want to learn. I want to learn from him, from Richard.

“We were in bright and early on Monday. As a player you don’t realise the depth and the amount of work that goes into the work and the prep before.

“You turn up as a player and get on with the session. On Monday we are going through it for an hour, and then another hour and a half afterwards, sorting out the week.

“It is a real eye-opener for me. It is something I am really keen to learn. I am nowhere near the finished article.”

Terry’s former England team-mates, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, have both made the jump into management with Derby and Rangers respectively.

“They have had the opportunity,” he said. “Steven has done the under-18s at Liverpool. He has had that experience for a year.

“Frank was going into Chelsea for a year working with Jody Morris. They have the connection of playing together and helping each other for the last year. That was the plan for me to be honest.

“But this opportunity came up and it was something I wanted to jump into. Like I said, I had disappointment last year, not getting us up to the Premier League. I just hope I can add a small bit to this group and the management team to try and get us up to the Premier League.”

Smith has revealed how he decided to include Terry on his staff after holding an hour-long FaceTime chat with the former Chelsea captain.

The pair already had a long-standing relationship, with Smith having coached Terry’s older brother, Paul, while assistant boss at Leyton Orient.

“I have a history with Dean,” he said. “I have known him for an awful long time. We crossed paths along the way recently.

“We had a good, honest conversation. Richard (O’Kelly) is his man that he takes with him. It is natural fit.

“He was more than happy to have me along and part of the journey and help me through my process.”