Chelsea boss José Mourinho has dismissed suggestions that John Terry is no longer the first team choices that he has been for more than a decade.

Terry was recently dropped to the bench for the Champions League game againstMaccabi Tel Aviv. Chelsea’s disastrous form at the start of the season was thought to be the reason behind this decision from Mourinho. After securing a comfortable 4-0 win with Kurt Zouma and Gary Cahill at the back, Mourinho went on to keep Terry on the bench for the crucial league encounter against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

His decision to keep Terry on the bench was viewed with surprise at the start of the game, but not many questioned it after the 2-0 win that was achieved with Zouma and Eden Hazard on the scoresheet. Now, many believe that the time of Terry has come to an end, but Mourinho says that it is not the case and that the 34-year-old is still his important player. Terry signed a 12 month extension to his contract only in the summer. He will consider his future in the next few months with speculation that the former England captain made decide to join the MLS for one final hurrah.

Mourinho says that the decision to drop Terry was purely based on the opposition’s strengths.”John Terry doesn’t need me to speak with him because he knows what I feel, what I think. He knows the relationship, he knows that he’s my man. He knows that if I need to choose one out of 25 to be my man, he’s the first.He knows that I care about him as a person, as a player. He knows that nothing is a risk, he knows that my decision only had one intention, which was to help my team to win the match,” said Mourinho.