The boss spoke ahead of the weekend FA Cup tie via videolink from the media room at Cobham after the day’s training had been completed. He started by looking forward to the game on Sunday which comes against Championship opposition…

‘Luton are going to be a tough competitor,’ Lampard said.

‘They are going pretty well in the Championship, they are a good team, and this is the FA Cup and we know what comes with it. I’ll be picking a team to try and win the game and get us through to the next round.’

Tomori to Milan?

Speculation has mounted regarding a loan move for Tomori, and Lampard spoke about the prospect of a deal and the young defender’s progress.

‘There is no confirmation as it stands,’ reported Lampard. ‘It’s not completed so he remains in the same situation.

‘Fikayo is a developing player, a very good player. I have seen him rise from his time at Derby as a good talent to one of the best defenders in the Championship and then an England international and a Chelsea regular.

‘His journey has been great. Whether he goes on loan or not he is going to be a top player, but he is a developing player, too.’

A target for the group

After the defeat at Leicester, Lampard said his side has been ‘sluggish’. It is an area of the game he feels has cost us in recent weeks, and he hopes to see the Blues back at our lung-busting best soon.

‘One of the things that set us apart as a team last year was our energy. There were parts of that this year when we were on a good run. We needed that to beat Leeds and beat Sevilla. I feel proud when I put out a team that shows that.

‘We did it last year and we managed to get to fourth position. When I see [our energy] come off we have to call it out and we have to work in training to get it better. You cannot play if you don’t run first. As a group we need to get back to the energy we were finding when we were winning games.’