New Aston Villa skipper John Terry backed to cope with Championship's physical demands

The 36-year-old, who dropped down into the second tier after a long and successful career in the top-flight with Chelsea, has experienced an early taste of life in the lower leagues during Villa’s pre-season fixtures at Shrewsbury and Walsall.

Terry made just 14 appearances during his final season at Stamford Bridge but has arrived at Villa Park aiming to play a major role in a promotion push.

And Lansbury is convinced the five-time Premier League winner will stand up to both the Championship’s physical nature and relentless schedule.

“It’s not going to be easy for him,” admitted Lansbury. “He said the other day, someone smashed him straight away at Shrewsbury it was like ‘welcome to the lower leagues mate’.

“But he’s a great guy who will hit the ground running.

“Can he stand up to it? Definitely, he’s a man. He’s not going to come here and lie down is he? He’s a winner. That’s what you need.

“He’s come here to play games, not just home games. He wants to get this club back to where it belongs.”

The capture of Terry, who turned down more lucrative offers from the Premier League and abroad, has rightly been seen as a significant coup for Villa.

Lansbury revealed how the arrival of the Champions League winner had given the whole squad a lift.

“It would give any squad a lift,” he said. “Anywhere he walks he raises the level. It’s fantastic for us.”

“He’s just another bloke. The boys don’t treat him any different on the training field or the dressing room.

“He’s had a great career and has been a fantastic player throughout his career. We will learn from him and I’m sure we’ll be able to ask him questions if we need to as the season progresses.”

Terry’s assured performances at the back have been a positive for Villa in their early pre-season fixtures and they are yet to concede with him on the pitch.

Lansbury, meanwhile, played down any concerns over a lack of cutting edge in attack.

Villa failed to score from open play against either Shrewsbury or Walsall, following up Saturday’s 2-1 defeat in Shropshire with a 0-0 draw at the Banks’s Stadium on Tuesday night.

But Lansbury said: “There’s no concern. It’s pre-season. The boys are still getting their match-fitness up.

“It’s not flowing properly yet but when the season starts we’ll hit the ground running.

“We’re not match sharp, we’re not match fit but we’ll get that in time. Every training session and every game is important now. We’ll be ready for the start of the season.”