England manager Roy Hodgson has said that he is extremely happy that Chelsea captain and defender John Terry put in one of the best performances in recent times to help England reach the quarter-finals of the Euro 2012 amidst all difficulties.

England recently lost their manager Fabio Capello after he resigned from his job. Hence, Roy Hodgson has had very little time to prepare for the Euro 2012, while he also lost a number of key players like Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, Arsenal's Jack Wilshere and Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry. Despite this, England have reached the quarter finals of the Euro 2012 where they will be facing Italy.

Even though John Terry does not captain the team anymore, he has had a major influence on the team according to Roy Hodgson. The former Liverpool manager decided to leave out Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand due to the attention that it may cost due to the presence of John Terry. It has proven to be a great decision after the team has been harmonious up until now. Roy Hodgson has revealed that this proves that John Terry is one of the key players of the England team at least for the near future.

"As a coach you have to be very careful taking on board these rumours, fears and suggestions. It is so important you choose the players you think are the right ones, that you work with them and get the experience for yourself. I can only talk about John and the four or five weeks I have been working with him. He has been a top-class professional and very good off the field as well," said England manager Roy Hodgson of the performance put in by his defender. He has also said that the presence of the captain's armband also had a positive influence on David Beckham.