Frank Lampard ready to fight for Chelsea first-team place

Frank Lampard admits he and his Champions League-winning Chelsea team-mates will have to prove themselves worthy of a place in Roberto Di Matteo’s first-team plans next season.

The west Londoners have already swooped for Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and tied up a deal for Thorgan Hazard – Eden’s younger brother – earlier this week.

And Lampard, 34, is expecting the competition for places to be as fierce as ever next term as the Blues continue their preparations for the new season.

“Last year we proved to be a great team and a great unit in the second half of the season with what we achieved,” Lampard told Chelsea’s website.

“This year maybe we are slightly different because we have more new young players coming in, so there might not be the settled togetherness that we had on the pitch at that side because we had been together a long time – but there is an excitement about our team as well and that’s probably the main difference.

“Everyone is trying to impress, and you never lose that in pre-season, there’s not one manager I’ve met yet who will close the door on any player.

“We are all playing for our season at this stage trying to show Robbie that we are fit and ready regardless of last year. We have to perform at a high level to stay in the team because of the quality of the squad we have.”

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