Age is no barrier for Chelsea, insists Frank Lampard

Frank Lampard has laughed off suggestions that Chelsea’s ageing squad will find it difficult to replicate the success of last year’s double-winning campaign.

“It is a load of rubbish when I hear talk about there only being one or two years left in our spine,” the 32-year-old told the Daily Star Sunday. “This has been going on for a year or so.

“Sometimes that is mind games from other managers, or press talk. But we proved them wrong last year.”

Lampard, who missed Chelsea’s 3-1 win at Upton Park following a hernia operation, believes experienced players are a necessity for any top side looking to challenge for honours.

“We have got players here who are experienced and you can’t buy experience in football,” he said. “Look at Didier, he will overpower any player who is 24 or 25.

“People have been talking about Paul Scholes and rightly so. If you took him out of the United team now, they’d need to replace him – and probably wouldn’t be able to.”

Lampard is expected to return for the Blues as Chelsea begin their Champions League campaign with a trip to Slovakia to face MSK Zilina in their first Group F match on Wednesday.