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Following criticism from manager Jose Mourinho in the wake of Chelsea's 1-0 friendly victory over Sydney FC, captain John Terry has backed 19-year-old Ruben Loftus-Cheek to learn from the experience. The Blues boss singled out Loftus-Cheek in his post-match news conference, claiming that the Chelsea starlet lacked the required intensity he demands from all of his players, and Terry believes the youngster needs to wear the criticism and show the mental toughness to bounce back. "He's a young boy and he needs to take it on the chin," Terry said. "If you want to get into this team you need to be very good and, secondly, you need to be mentally strong. The manager picks his times when he digs people out; that's part of his learning curve and he's got the offseason to think about that now. "He's made a couple of games, come on a couple of times and started a couple of games late in the season, but for him to make that next step and become a regular, it doesn't happen easily. It's going to be hard work for him." While it appears Terry is taking the "tough love" approach, the veteran did praise the young midfielder's talent and will offer advice for his development as it's a situation many players find themselves in early on in their careers. "We've all been there as players and you look for the people or friends around you, but more importantly it has to come from within him. He's a great boy, he's got unbelievable talent and he just needs to kick on now. I'm sure he will, but as captain I'll have a quiet word for sure." It's been a long season for Terry, and the 34-year-old is one of the few surviving elder statesmen of the Premier League following the recent exits of Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, but the former England captain is looking after himself to ensure he remains at the top of his game for as long as possible. "I think we all realise that when you get to 30 you can't eat what you used to and can't do what you used to," he said. "So every day I do something, not too much, just a little bit of strengthening on certain muscles and some gentle runs to just keep myself ticking over so when I do come back [following the offseason] it's not a big shock."
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