Former Derby County coach Kevin Phillips has suggested that John Terry could prove to have an advantage over other candidates in the running for the Derby County job after Frank Lampard’s success in the role.

It has been reported that the Rams are potentially considering potentially appointing the former Chelsea captain to take over from Phillip Cocu.

The current Aston Villa number two is thought to be excited by the prospect of taking over the Championship strugglers under new ownership and having the investment to build something and turn the club around, per Sky Sports.

Derby have already displayed their willingness to provide opportunities to up and coming managers having given Lampard the chance to lead them in the 2018/19 season. The now Chelsea boss guided the Rams to the play-off final in his only campaign in charge to prove that the model of appointing young managers could work for them.

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Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips suggested that he believes Lampard’s previous spell with the Rams could put Terry in a strong position to become their new manager, while he also outlined the defensive improvements that he has brought to Aston Villa in his role as the number two behind Dean Smith.

He said: “I think how well Frank Lampard did at Derby will bode well for John Terry.

“It is no surprise that he is being considered for the job. He has been coaching and been assistant to Dean Smith for a while now. He has learned his trade and learned the job by now but of course he will have his own style of management.

“I think it always helps to be linked to a club who have a history of employing inexperienced managers and an ex-Chelsea teammate of his. I could see John Terry pitching up at Derby in the next couple of weeks.

“It would be a big blow to Aston Villa because defensively this year they have improved so much and I think working day in, day out with John Terry will have massively helped them.”

The verdict

Derby’s managerial search is somewhat on hold at the moment due to the uncertainty over when and if the takeover will be completed. Wayne Rooney did relieve some pressure for a swift appointment by picking up his first win in sole charge of the Rams on Saturday against Millwall, but they still need clarity over who is leading the team for the rest of the campaign.

Terry has shown some encouraging signs of his coaching abilities during his time at Villa Park, and as Phillips suggests he has played a key role in improving their defensive performances at the start of this term. However, it is a major leap from that to taking over at a club struggling in the Championship.

Lampard showed that inexperience is not a disqualification and that success can be achieved with a fresh youthful perspective on things on the field. Terry will have the belief that he can do the same, but he would be taking over in more challenging circumstances than his former Chelsea team-mate did.