Former Aston Villa centre half and first-team coach John Terry has been installed as the second favourite for the Oxford United job behind former Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett.

Terry hasn't been in first-team work since leaving Leicester City in 2023, where he assisted Dean Smith as they attempted in vain to keep the Foxes in the Premier League following the departure of Brendan Rodgers. Since, he has returned to Chelsea as an academy coach.

Terry joined Villa from Chelsea, where he'd made over 700 appearances, in the summer of 2017 when signing for Steve Bruce. He returned to the club after retiring the following spring - Villa suffered play-off final defeat to Fulham in his final career appearance - when he joined Smith, who succeeded Bruce at the helm.

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The former England defender has been tipped to take up a number of managerial vacancies in the past, but he is yet to branch out into management himself, although he has seen a number of his former Three Lions colleagues - including Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard - all take up various roles in the dug-out, the former of course spending time at Villa and Rooney at Blues before now.

Former Blues boss Rowett, who most recently had a second stint at St Andrew's after illness ended Tony Mowbray's reign prematurely, is currently the odds-on favourite with the bookies with Terry second favourite at 3/1.

Oxford, in the Championship after being promoted in the League One play-off final last season under Des Buckingham, parted company with the manager after a run of one win in 16 which has seen them slide down the table to just above the relegation zone.

Oxford next manager odds

Gary Rowett 8/11

John Terry 3/1

Mark Robins 6/1

Paddy McCarthy 16/1

Steven Schumacher 16/1

BAR 25/1