Terry sings Mourinho praises

John Terry believes former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho would be ideal as the next manager of England.

The England and Blues skipper has held talks with FA chief executive Brian Barwick, who is searching for a successor to the axed Steve McClaren.

Terry said: "Jose came in and took us to a new level at Chelsea. I am very lucky to have worked with Jose - he is a fantastic manager and a fantastic guy. He is one that really stands out for me and could make a big difference."

He added: "He's a great guy, tactically he is very aware, and he understands the game very well.

"He enjoys the day-in, day-out stuff with a club side so maybe it would not suit him, but you never know - it is down to the FA to contact him if they want to speak to him.

"But there are other managers out there that are being talked about who are very good."

Terry still finds England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 hard to stomach but he hit back at suggestions the country's highly-paid stars don't care enough.

He added: "I came into football because I love the game. When you get the disappointments like Euro 2008 and then people speak about money and cars, it is really frustrating because they don't mean anything to me.

"It is about playing for your country and having the pride to honour your country, shirt and family.

"We are at a very low point at the moment. We can only go forward. The FA are looking to bring in the right man to take us forward. But maybe as players we have not done it at international level."