Lampard aims dig at Mourinho with Chelsea youngsters

Frank Lampard has aimed a sly dig at former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and his handling of Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah and Romelu Lukaku, with the current Blues boss vowing to keep faith with promising youngsters.

That has not always been the philosophy at Stamford Bridge, with top talent slipping the net as a result.

Chelsea have, at one stage or another, had De Bruyne, Salah and Lukaku on their books, but seen that trio go on to become global superstars outside of west London.

Lampard is eager to ensure that there is no repeat of that situation during his tenure, with patience set to be shown in an exciting group of academy graduates that form part of the club’s class of 2019-20.

Referencing those who have gone before him, the Blues legend said of his development plans: “If we’re not patient and we don’t stick with the players then you might be in a situation where we have been before, where top world-class players have been at Chelsea when they were 20 or 21, but the managers maybe didn’t stick with them so much then.

“I’m in a position where I’m going to stick with them.”

Frank Lampard says he draws on the influence of Jose Mourinho as he attempts to forge the same kind of bond with his #Chelsea youngsters that existed when the Portuguese first took charge at Stamford Bridge 15 years ago. (@TeleFootball) https://t.co/X0fmGtcKMZ

— Chelsea HQ (@Chelsea_HQ) December 21, 2019

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Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James are among the youngsters to have seen regular game time this season, with that quartet flourishing on a Premier League stage after spending time on loan in the second tier last season.

Chelsea, who have cemented a standing inside the Premier League’s top four, will be back in action on Boxing Day when they take in a home date with Southampton.