Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has claimed that John Terry has been the best defender to play in the Premier League over the past 20 years.

The Blues skipper won his fourth top-flight crown last season and earned many plaudits for his performances in the club's backline over the course of the campaign.

Matic has revealed that Terry's quality as a defender and leader are evident on the field, although the Serb has admitted that he is not as vocal as people may expect him to be.

He told the Daily Mail: "John is our legend. I'm not saying this because I play with him – he is the best defender in England in the last 20 years.

"He is our captain, he's been captain of teams that have won the league several times, and I have no idea how many cups he's won.

"If you have a leader like this and good players, results will come. If he sees something wrong on the pitch he always makes it right, but in a positive way and the young players like that. He doesn't actually speak that much in the dressing room, he only speaks when he needs to – and everybody listens."

Matic has also praised Eden Hazard following his award-winning campaign, and has insisted that the Belgian can only improve in the Premier League.

Written by
Simon Sinclair