Garry Thompson admits no-one knows what type of role John Terry holds at Aston Villa

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John Terry was named part of Dean Smith’s coaching staff when he joined Aston Villa in October.

Former Aston Villa striker Garry Thompson has stated that ‘no-one really knows’ what type of role John Terry holds at the club amid their defensive problems.

When Dean Smith was appointed Villa manager back in October, Terry was named part of his coach set-up despite never working with the former Brentford man previously.

Over the course of the season, under Steve Bruce and now Smith, Villa have conceded 45 goals and their defensive troubles have not eased since the latter’s arrival.

Holte End favourite Thompson offered his thoughts on Terry’s role at the Championship side as he tried to explain why the club’s senior man might be struggling to prove his worth, at this moment in time.

“No-one seems to really know at the minute [what Terry’s role at the club is],” Thompson told BBC Radio WM. “If you go in as a coach, you want to make the impression on people, you want to start showing people what you can do.

“The problem at Villa is they cannot defend. They are unbalanced anyway, but they don’t defend. Therefore, that is tailormade for a young coach to go in and do his bit.

“At the moment, not an awful lot is happening. Maybe he hasn’t got the players he wants in there, but you should still be able to fashion them into some way shape or form, so they can defend a lot better.”

During Villa’s run to the playoff final last season, Terry partnered James Chester at the heart of the club’s defence and the duo didn’t disappoint – Tommy Elphick and Mile Jedinak covered Terry during the time he was injured.

Nonetheless, they conceded 42 goals – only Wolves and Cardiff, who finished in the automatic places, shipped fewer goals – but ended up losing the playoff final to Fulham in May.

But since Terry’s departure, and subsequent retirement, Villa have struggled to find regularity and stability in the centre-back areas.

Chester, who was suspended for one league game this season, has been a regular member of that backline, but the likes of Jedinak, Axel Tuanzebe, James Bree, Tommy Elphick and Kortney Hause have all played alongside him in defence.

Smith’s side host bottom-of-the-table Ipswich Town on Saturday, with Paul Lambert returning to his old hunting ground for the first time since his sacking in 2015.