Gary Neville says former Chelsea man is key
Tuesday 16 December 2014 01:04, UK
“I thought that would be out of my reach in the summer,” smiled Frank Lampard on Saturday, when he was informed his winner against Leicester City had moved him to joint-fourth in the all-time Premier League scoring charts, level with Thierry Henry.
“I have a huge amount of respect for Henry. He’s the greatest, if not one of the greatest, Premier League players, for sure.”
The ever-modest former England midfielder will be counted among the greats by many himself and right now is making vital contributions for Premier League champions Manchester City.
Since beginning his six-month loan deal from New York City, Lampard has chipped in with six goals in 14 appearances in all competitions, including a late equaliser against title rivals and former club Chelsea and the match-winning close-range effort at the King Power Stadium.
However, beyond the raw statistics, Lampard’s experience as a three-time Premier League winner, Champions League titlist and 100-cap international means his true value comes in his influence on his team-mates.
That’s the view of Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, who said on Monday Night Football: “He’s playing a key role for Man City.
“There’s been a lot of talk in the last few weeks about use of experienced players, mature players. We saw with Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes that if you use and manage these players correctly you can get huge things from them. Not just on the pitch – by coming in and making cameo appearances like that – but also off the pitch as well.
“It gives no younger player in the dressing room any excuse when you’ve got someone who has done everything in the game, won championships, played for England over 100 times, and he’s still showing the professionalism and desire to do things the right way.
“They have massive influence if used in the right way in a squad of 22 or 23 players.”
Important
That opinion is also held by City boss Manuel Pellegrini, who has utilised Lampard in 11 of the 13 Premier League games he’s had him at the club for.
With City drawing Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League on Monday, there’s no question Pellegrini – who saw his side dumped out of the competition by the same opponents at the same stage last season – would like to call on Lampard’s experience this time around.
However, Lampard's deal with City finishes at the end of December and the club will have to seal an extension to keep him in their ranks.
“There have been no serious discussions but we know exactly what we must do,” said the manager. "Frank wants to stay, we want to keep him. Now we must resolve the problem with New York City and MLS.
"He is very important. One of the reasons why he played (on Saturday) was because he has scored for me. Frank has been very useful for us in this moment."
While journalist Patrick Barclay told Sunday Supplement Lampard extending his loan from New York City – who are co-owned by Man City – and missing the start of the MLS season was unpalatable, it no doubt appeals to key figures on this side of the Atlantic.
And with stiff tests in Europe to come and a showdown with Premier League leaders Chelsea on January 31, who can blame City for wanting to hold on to the Stamford Bridge legend a little longer?
