Chelsea boss Rafael Benitez has dismissed rumours surrounding a reported rift with club captain John Terry.
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Terry had rebuffed similar reports following his return to action in the 4-0 FA Cup victory over Brentford, claiming he is more than happy to wait his turn after returning from a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury.
And now Benitez has also moved to distance himself from the rumours, expressing his 'surprise' at some of the speculation.
"We were surprised today with some comments," the Spaniard said, following Sunday's win against the Bees.
"It's totally rubbish. We didn't have any problem. We were talking about football with the team. He was training yesterday (Saturday), we had normal conversations. Everything was fine. I was really surprised."
Terry could find himself on the substitutes bench once more for Thursday's second leg Europa League match against Sparta Prague, with Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill having started in the first leg defeat to the Russian side.
But Benitez has stressed that Terry has shown no signs of frustration with his slow comeback, and is solely focused on helping the team.
"He's quite positive," Benitez said. "He knows that the main thing is the team winning and if he can play, much better."
"When you have players available you can manage in a different way," he said. "You can change player and they still keep the intensity in the team."
Benitez will also be hoping that the return of AFCON participants Victor Moses and John Obi Mikel will bolster the Blues' squad, ahead of crucial matches against Sparta Prague and Manchester City on Thursday and Sunday respectively.
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