I can be a leader like legend JT
66 Sunday Mail
Ruben Sammut will forever be indebted to John Terry for a decade of help at Chelsea and hopes his influence can help him lead the young Blues.
The Scot land Under- 21 midfielder was promoted to Under-23 captain at Stamford Bridge last season and wants to take a leaf out of Terry’s book of leadership qualities.
Terry is the last star to emerge from the Chelsea academy in the last 20 years and bid an emotional farewell to the club at the end of the last season.
The 36-year-old former England defender’s presence will be hugely missed around Stamford Bridge and Sammut first encountered him as a wide-eyed kid.
The 19-year-old said: “I’ve been at the club since I was eight and John has always been a brilliant supporter of the academy.
“I was in the Under-8s and our coach was Bob Osbourne. He used to be the digs host for John and has a good relationship with him.
“Bob asked him to come to the training session and he joined in.
“I was a bit star-struck because it was the first time I saw him.
“John is the shining example of breaking into the team and getting regular footba l l. He’s an inspiration to everyone at the club and that’s what I aspire to.
“I’m 19 now and he has always been there for me – he has attended lots of games and has invested a lot of his time in us. So he will be a big loss.
“We all chipped in and the academy got him something nice as a leaving present.
“I’ve not spoken to John about being a captain. I’ve been skipper of the 18s too. I try to take on a leadership role.
“I’ve been put into the 23s and I captained the side in the second half of the season, which was a huge honour for me because I have followed some big players. I hope I can kick on next season.”
Sammut admitted he doesn’t know what Blues boss Antonio Conte has planned for him this season but reckons there could be a chance he’s sent out on loan.
He said: “If they think it’s best if I go on loan then great but they might want me to stay with the 23s to get a better chance of breaking into the first team.
“They know what is the best way for me to develop.
“I’ve not spoken too much with the manager about my future.
“The first team and academy are separate. He has been focused on winning the league.”