John Terry says he does not want to think about the prospect of playing against Frank Lampard should the midfielder leave Chelsea.
Speculation over Lampard's future has been rife after it became clear that the Blues had not offered the 34-year-old an extension to his expiring contract.
The talismanic midfielder, who is the club's second highest all-time goal-scorer, has long spoken of his desire to continue playing for the Blues.
But his exit now looks inevitable and he could well return to Stamford Bridge playing for the opposition - a prospect Terry does not want to accept.
"I'm not even going to entertain that," Terry told the Daily Mail. "I don't even want to think about it. He has so much more to give. We all hope that's here but, if not, he has certainly got years ahead of him.
"At his age, he is the best trainer by a million miles. He works so hard. To get that many goals kids might think, 'he's just in the right position', but believe me, it is down to a lot of hard work before and after training, working on strengths and weaknesses."
Amid continued speculation surrounding interim manager Rafa Benitez, alongside Lampard's protracted contract issues, Terry stressed the most important thing of all is results.
"People speak about things but it's not about Rafa, it's not about me, it's not about Lamps, it's not about anybody," he said.
"Top four is a must for this football club. Top two would be great, obviously. Every competition we are in, we are in it to win and we have certainly got the squad to do that. Every year at this football club we need trophies, whatever that may be."
