Aston Villa assistant coach John Terry is reportedly a frontrunner to take charge at Derby County and sees it as an excellent opportunity, as well as being excited by the prospect of new investment.

Phillip Cocu left Pride Park during the November international break and the hunt for a new manager is ongoing, with Wayne Rooney currently leading the interim coaching team in charge.

According to Sky Sports, Terry is one of the frontrunners to become the new Rams boss once Sheikh Khaled's £60 million takeover of the East Midlands club is completed.

It is understood that Mel Morris' deal with the prominent member of the Abu Dhabi royal family is in its final stages.

The report claims that the former England captain feels taking charge of Derby would be an excellent opportunity and is excited by the prospect of more investment following the takeover.

It seems he's not the only one keen, however, as Rooney is believed to be interested in taking the job permanently as well.

Derby are bottom of the Championship as things stand and have won just once all season.

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The Verdict

This is an encouraging update from Derby's perspective. With Terry seemingly one of the frontrunners and keen to take charge, it seems as though things could be falling into place for his first job in management.

Frank Lampard's success at Pride Park will no doubt be encouraging to both his former England teammate and the East Midlands club, while the takeover looks likely to mean whoever takes charge is going to have significant financial backing.

Should Terry get the job, it is going to be very interesting to see what that means for Rooney.