Frank Lampard has labelled Enzo Fernandez as a ‘fantastic talent’ and believes he is the ‘future’ of Chelsea.
The World Cup-winning midfielder has impressed since joining the Blues form Benfica in January and our caretaker manager has been delighted with the impact – both on and off the pitch – that the Argentinian has displayed so soon into his Chelsea career.
With a London derby against Brentford next up for Chelsea, Lampard took time at his pre-match press conference to single Enzo out for praise.
‘He's a fantastic talent,’ Lampard said of the midfielder.
‘For such a young player to achieve what he's achieved in this footballing year, it really is amazing. To win the World Cup and earn a great move to a club like Chelsea, it’s really impressive.
‘It’s been a difficult moment to come to the club, but it's a challenge that will make him better. He’s a really bright talent for his age but, of course, he needs help and support to fulfil his potential and will need time to do that. I’ve been really pleased with Enzo.
‘I think he's the future of Chelsea but we must also give him time to settle.’
Meanwhile Lampard rejected the notion from journalists at his pre-match news briefing that Chelsea have nothing to play for in these final games, with our caretaker manager pointing to the fact that playing for this club demands a certain level no matter what the stakes.
‘I don't have a mentality that there's nothing to play for,’ added Lampard. ‘You won't compete absolutely every season, it comes down to personal pride and responsibility.
‘The schedule was always going to be a challenge but we knew that coming in, with games coming thick and fast. That period's gone, so it gives us time to work in between. There's always a lot of challenges. Football is about challenges and you have to tackle them head on.
‘The run-in is really tough, so my interest is to see how the players react to that.’