John Terry belted out Stand By Me for his Villa initiation and it was surprisingly decent

In possibly the gentlest of football initiations, veteran player John Terry was welcomed to new side Aston Villa by delivering a tender, acoustic rendition of Ben E King’s 1961 hit Stand By Me.

The ex-Chelsea and England player unleashed his impressive vocals in front of his new teammates, in a bid to earn his claret and blue stripes.

The 36-year-old even seasoned his performance with a gentle two-step and some arm-swaying, and looked as though he was thoroughly feeling the music, especially as he hit those chorus high notes.

A few recordings popped up on social media from 18-year-old Villa player Andre Green, who egged him on as entertained colleagues clapped along.

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Terry signed a one-year deal with Championship club Aston Villa on Monday, after turning down offers from the Premier League to avoid a clash with his former side of 22 years, The Blues.

At the time, he told Press Association sport: “Playing against Chelsea just doesn’t sit right with me, to be honest.”