Frank Lampard has ruled Tammy Abraham out of tomorrow’s game against West Ham, but the boss has complete confidence in whoever he chooses to replace the striker up front.
Sports Livestream ⚽ JOIN NOW for FREE
Instant access to the BT Sport, Sky Sports and Eurosport
Abraham has started every Premier League and Champions League game for us since 18 August, netting an impressive 11 goals so far this season, but a hip injury sustained shortly before half-time in our midweek draw with Valencia means he won’t be available for selection tomorrow.
At his press conference at Cobham this afternoon, Lampard was asked if it was any clearer how long the 22-year-old will be out for.
‘No,’ he responded.
‘We’ll know by the end of the weekend. He’s got some pain. He won’t be involved tomorrow, and we will see by Monday.
‘It’s a squad game over the course of a season. The lads have been training well. Every day is a work day, so when opportunities come they’re ready. I have full confidence in them.’
Lampard was asked specifically what it is about Michy Batshuayi’s game that has impressed him
‘A work ethic, a quality. It’s not easy when you’re not playing so many minutes as you want. With Tammy’s form, it’s meant he’s played a lot, but that can obviously change now Tammy has his injury. I’ve seen a great work ethic, and a persistence in how he works and a consistency, and his quality.’
The boss had good news regarding Toni Rudiger’s condition
‘He’s getting closer, he had a really good week’s work. The reality is he’s not played for a very long time so it’s a mini pre-season. Now the injury hopefully is over, we need to get him properly fit. He’s working very hard. It’s days and weeks rather than months which is great news for us.’
