During the summer, Championship outfit, Aston Villa, made some quality signings in the summer and one of the major and notable acquisitions by them was John Terry from Chelsea. Steve Bruce was the one who persuaded Terry to make a move to the Villa Park, for Bruce knew that the experience the Englishman had under his belt was humungous and could very well play a pivotal role in order to ensure that the Villans impose a strong challenge for promotion.
Aston Villa have indeed had a decent season so far and are placed 4th in the league table of English second division with 35 points to their name after 19 games. In the process, Terry proved to be a valuable asset for Bruce’s side, as in 16 Championship appearances, the former Chelsea skipper manoeuvred 0.8 tackles, 1.7 interceptions, 7.7 clearances and 0.9 blocks per game on an average and also managed to find the back of the net on one occasion.
His leadership skills have been evident and he marshalled the backline meticulously. However, in the first week of November, it was reported that the 36-year-old broke his metatarsal whilst plying his trade against Sheffield Wednesday and it was perceived that he would be sidelined for around three months. Such a piece of news tormented Aston Villa fans to no end, for the central defender, who was signed on a one year deal was thriving as a leader on and off the pitch for the Lions.
Interestingly, the Birmingham Mail reported earlier today that Terry is making a brisk progress and could be playing sooner than expected. It is believed that he might be due for a return around the turn of the New Year. The captain has missed the last three Championship games for Villa and is expected to miss the next six encounters. He might be still wearing a protective boot but has started to swim and doing some bike work in order to resurrect himself.
Although Chris Samba has filled Terry’s boot in an intriguing fashion by showcasing commendable productivity for the Claret & Blues in the last three games, with the club winning all of them, the early return of Terry would be a huge boost for Bruce’s troops.
The fixtures and competitiveness would get tougher from here onwards and Aston Villa need their key men at their disposal to keep marching in the right direction, and Terry is undoubtedly one of the galvanizing names of their ranks.
