Jose Mourinho has revealed he thought Chelsea captain John Terry was 'finished' at the club before returning to Stamford Bridge two ...
Mourinho is in his second spell at the Blues after his return and said he was concerned about Terry's effectiveness at the highest level after the club captain struggled for form.
Chelsea's interim manager Rafael Benitez admitted he could not guarantee the central defender a regular first-team place as Terry fell out of favour.
However, since Mourinho's return, Terry has been an ever-present in Chelsea's line-up and played every minute of their Premier League title win last season. Terry's superb form saw him named in the PFA team of the season and Mourinho called it a 'phenomenal' campaign.
Speaking to ESPN FC, Mourinho said: 'When I came, I came with that question mark: 'Which John am I going to find?' What can he do? Can he improve? Can he become close to the John I know?
'And last season was phenomenal. Phenomenal. I think the best season.'
When asked about Terry struggles before his return, Mourinho said: 'And certainly a couple of years ago, he disappeared.
'A couple of injuries, one or two managers that stopped believing in him at the club, bringing in other defenders that they thought would be John's replacement.
'And especially in the season before I came, which was Rafael Benitez's season, I thought "this guy's finished" because he's not playing finals, he's not playing in big matches. I thought he was in trouble.'
Terry and his Chelsea team-mates face Arsenal in the Community Shield on Sunday.
