Chelsea have confirmed that John Terry has returned to Stamford Bridge to take on a role with the club's academy.

The 41-year-old, who was part of the first-team setup at Chelsea between 1998 and 2017, is currently waiting to take on his first senior managerial position after spending time as Dean Smith's assistant coach at Aston Villa.

Earlier over the Christmas period, it was widely reported that the ex-centre-back was on the brink of joining the backroom staff at the club's academy.

Chelsea have now revealed that Terry has been given a coaching consultancy role, and the former England international took to Twitter to acknowledge the news.

I'm delighted to announce that I'm coming home, and have taken up a consultancy role @ChelseaFC academy. As well as delivering on field coaching sessions I will be involved in coaching discussions and mentoring our academy players.💙⚽️ pic.twitter.com/dLW8gnXlxp

— John Terry (@JohnTerry26) December 29, 2021

In an official statement, Chelsea added: "As well as delivering on-field coaching, our former club captain will contribute to coaching discussions with colleagues, mentor Academy players and support parent dialogue.

"He will begin the role in a part-time capacity at the start of next month. This flexibility is beneficial for both John and the Academy, as it allows him to continue to develop his own coaching skills alongside other commitments, while being used optimally within our development programme."

During his playing days, Terry made 717 appearances for the Blues, winning a total of 17 trophies.