Antonio Conte won't rule out coaching role for Frank Lampard at Chelsea

LAMPARD

Antonio Conte has refused to rule out the possibility of Frank Lampard returning to Chelsea in a coaching role if he opts to stop playing.

The 38-year-old is currently weighing up whether to add an extra year to his career in the wake of his exit from New York City FC this week.

He is understood to have options in Europe as well as in MLS, with Orlando City and LA Galaxy interested, but there remains a fair chance he will instead take the step into coaching and Chelsea are said to want him in that eventuality.

Given he played 648 games across 13 highly successful seasons at Stamford Bridge, it would be a tempting option for Lampard, though Conte was coy on the subject, given the former England midfielder has not yet announced his retirement.

When asked directly about the possibility of recruiting him as a coach, Conte said: ‘Frank Lampard has been a great player, a fantastic player for Chelsea. He won a lot with this team.

 ‘But now for me he’s still playing and for this reason I don’t know his future. I repeat: he has been a fantastic player, a legend for this club. I have great respect for him. 

'For me it’s very difficult to reply to the question when the question starts ‘if’. It’s important to know.’

Conte’s more pressing concern will be preserving the stunning form that has made Chelsea untouchable across the past seven weeks. 

They play at Middlesbrough on Sunday on the back of five straight Premier League wins in which they have scored 16 and conceded none following an indifferent start to the season.

Eden Hazard has been declared available for the trip after he limped out of Belgium’s fixture with Estonia in the international break. 

Conte admitted he had been worried about his playmaker’s fitness, which in itself is testament to how important he has become this season after miseries in the last campaign.

By the Belgian’s admission, the stark turnaround in his form has been largely caused by Conte’s instruction to focus almost entirely on attacking duties, rather than the defensive work more frequently asked of him under Jose Mourinho. 

But Conte went against suggestions that Hazard is operating as a single-minded, unleashed force, instead arguing that he is becoming a more ‘complete player’ by virtue of his willingness to do the dirty work of running and chasing.

Conte said: ‘This season I’m seeing a lot of positive things for Eden, with the ball and without the ball. It’s important, because to be a complete player you must do both phases, with the ball and without the ball. Eden is doing this and it’s fantastic.

‘I hope he maintains this form for all the season. It’s important to continue, to continue to work, to continue to work very hard, to have this commitment, this work-rate, during the training session, during the game. I’m pleased for this. Eden is an important player for Chelsea.’