Former captain John Terry will return to Chelsea in a coaching consultancy role with the club’s academy.

The ex-England defender will work with players and coaching staff in Chelsea’s youth development programme in a part-time capacity from early January.

Terry, 41, won 15 major honours during 19 years as a Chelsea player before joining Aston Villa, where he was assistant manager from 2018 to 2021.

“I’m delighted to announce that I’m coming home,” he said on social media.

“The flexibility is key for both myself and the academy as it allows me to continue and develop my own coaching skills and ambitions alongside other commitments.”

After coming through Chelsea’s academy himself, Terry scored 67 goals in 717 appearances for the Blues and also earned 78 England caps.

He spent the final year of his playing career with Villa before retiring in October 2018 to become Dean Smith’s assistant, leaving in July 2021 to pursue a managerial role.

Neil Bath, Chelsea’s head of youth development, added: “We can’t wait for him to get started.

“He will be a great mentor for our players and a fantastic asset to our coaching staff.

“John’s experience in the game, both as a world-class player and more recently as an assistant coach in the Premier League, will be invaluable for everyone in the building.”