JOHN TERRY and Cesc Fabregas have blasted Neil Warnock for claiming Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta is ‘not a great defender’.
The Spanish star, who becomes a free agent in June and is wanted by Barcelona, led the Blues to Club World Cup success on Saturday.
That was his ninth trophy since joining the Blues a decade ago and completed the set of winning every possible competition with the West London club.
However, former Middlesbrough and Cardiff City manager Warnock does not seem to be that impressed by Azpilicueta’s achievements.
He claims the 32-year-old veteran is ‘fortunate’ to be at Stamford Bridge and that he has ‘had a bit of luck at the right time’ during his stint in England.
But former Chelsea stars Terry and Fabregas, who have both played alongside the ex-Marseille man, leapt to Azpilicueta’s defence on social media after Warnock’s controversial remarks.
Terry replied on Twitter with: “Is this a wind up?”
Meanwhile Fabregas used a series of comical emojis to explain his thoughts on Warnock’s comments.
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Azpilicueta scored a controversial equaliser as Chelsea beat Warnock’s then Cardiff side in 2019 which went towards the Bluebirds being relegated from the top-flight.
After being asked on talkSPORT if the star is an underrated defender, Warnock claimed: “I think it goes two ways to be honest. I think Azpilicueta has been a very fortunate lad to be at a club like Chelsea.
“I don’t think he is a great defender. Sometimes in football you need a bit of luck and I think he’s had a bit of luck at the right time and in the right place.
“That’s what you need in football, you need a bit of luck to be successful.”
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