The announcement of John Terry leaving Chelsea at the end of the season had been a long time coming for many Chelsea punters here in the Transfer Tavern.

The former England captain has struggled for playing time since Antonio Conte took over the club as manager at the beginning of the season, having made only five starts for the Blues all season.

Terry has fallen down the pecking order dramatically at Stamford Bridge over the past eight months, now finding himself behind David Luiz, Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta and Kurt Zouma, all of whom are preferred in Conte’s 3-4-3 formation that was implemented in the early stages of the season.

Since the announcement of his intent to leave come May, rumours have of course been flying with regards to his potential destination over the summer.

One of the more interesting of those however is the potential of a controversial move to Old Trafford to be re-united with his former boss Jose Mourinho.

The pair worked together for both of the Portuguese’s spells at the Blues between 2004 and 2015.

Our resident United fans at the Transfer Tavern think that a move to Old Trafford could be perfect for both club and player, and here are THREE reasons why …

The Mourinho Bond

As previously mentioned, John Terry and Jose Mourinho have a special relationship.

Terry was Mourinho’s title winning captain for all three of his Premier League winning seasons with the Blues, and was a omnipresent figure in the Portuguese squad during both spells with the club.

Neither are shy of admiration for each other.

Terry described Mourinho as “the very best I have ever worked with” following his sacking from Chelsea back in late 2015. Mourinho had repaid the favour, stating: “In this generation, I think he is the best centre-back in English football as he has so many international caps and so many titles with Chelsea.”

While the pair may have had their differences over the years, the respect for each other is clear to see and that relationship would be certain to translate onto the playing field.

Experience Aplenty

It is no secret that United’s Achilles heel is their defence. Jones and Rojo? Rojo and Smalling? Smalling and Bailly? Bailly and Blind? There appears to be no answer to the conundrum to the puzzle that is the Red Devil’s centre half pairing.

Along come John Terry.

With experience almost unparalleled in the English top flight and with a CV that reads like an employer’s dream, the veteran defender can be just the player United need to sure up their back four and provide the youngsters and less experienced players with some much needed defensive know how.

There are a number of players already at the club that would benefit heavily from the experience of Terry both on the pitch and on the training ground, and any newcomers to the club over the summer would do so just as much.

Captain Fantastic

Not only could Terry provide some much needed experience, but would it be too much of a stretch to say that he could even fulfil the role as captain, even if only for a year?

Maybe, but who say’s he cant.

Terry was such a fantastic captain for Chelsea over the years, and it was not that long that he was indeed leading the line for the Blues.

With United’s captaincy up in the air too and no obvious leader to stand up and take the armband, the Red Devils could do with a man of JT’s calibre to take that responsibility by the scruff of the neck.