John Terry has announced that he will leave Chelsea in the summer after nearly 20 years of service, having seen his game time limited under Antonio Conte this season.

Since the Italian's arrival last summer, the Blues veteran has made just 10 appearances this campaign - with just half of those coming in the Premier League.

It's been no secret that the former England defender's career at Stamford Bridge was coming to an end, with it only being a matter of when the 36-year-old will pull on the shirt for the last time.

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The announcement late on Monday afternoon was the inevitable news Blues fans have been dreading for some time now and Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher were quick to question the timing of Terry's announcement.

"The news of Terry leaving is incredibly strange timing, I don't get it at all," Neville said on Monday Night Football, per Sky Sports.

"I'm not really sure who it suits, maybe John Terry a little bit, but I'm not even sure about that.

"Maybe he's signed a pre-agreement with somebody and they couldn't keep it quiet any longer."

While Carragher added: "The timing seems a bit strange on the back of yesterday's game and result."

However, despite Terry's announcement, Neville believes he could still have a very important role to play in the closing weeks of the season, following their 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on Sunday.

Neville: Conte may need Terry

The former United defender believes Terry could provide the vital experience at the back for the Blues as they look to get over the line and reclaim the Premier League trophy, with bitter rivals Tottenham closing in on the league leaders.

"They haven't kept a clean sheet for quite a bit now and I think he [Terry] could be quite useful for them," said Neville.

"If they needed someone with experience in this last month to get them over the line, he might be the man they need to call on.

"He's got the experience, the resilience, the robustness and that toughness which would get his team-mates over the line. He may be Chelsea's most important player in the next few weeks."

Terry has made 713 appearances for the club since his debut in 1998, winning the Premier League on four occasions, and the 36-year-old will desperately be looking to make that five before he bows out at the end of the campaign.

Italian facing tense finale

The pressure is beginning to heat up on Conte, who has seen Chelsea's significant lead at the top of the Premier League reduced to four points following Spurs' convincing 4-0 home win over Bournemouth at the weekend.

And with Terry undoubtedly desperate keen to play some part in the remaining weeks of the season, Conte may be wise to listen to Carragher's words if the both his defender and the Blues are to enjoy a fairytale end to the campaign.

"For me, he's the best centre-back in the Premier League era," Carragher added. "An absolute legend and he'll certainly go down as Chelsea's greatest player. He's one of the greats of the Premier League era and number one for me.

"I think he's got a lot to offer as a player in the Premier League."