Frank Lampard believes the emergence of Tammy Abraham has been a huge boost for Chelsea so far this season after just one win in their opening four Premier League games.
Abraham has scored four goals in his last two league appearances for Chelsea, but was not called up by Gareth Southgate for England’s upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo.
However, Lampard has praised Abraham’s impact on and off the pitch and is tipping the 21-year-old for an England recall soon after his double had put Chelsea into a 2-0 lead against Sheffield United on Saturday before the newly-promoted side came back to draw 2-2.
"I am delighted with Tammy, delighted with his attitude," Lampard said at Stamford Bridge. "He has a great attitude in training and a desire to score. I thought his all-round game as well was good.
"We are working with Tammy, all the staff, to help little bits of his game where he can be even better. He is very receptive to that. I thought his performance was class. It is everything you want from him and he is unlucky not to have three, I suppose.
"I would have loved it for him [to get called up by England], but he can take a bit of a breather. We can work with him because it is a constant with all the younger players. I think England will come calling."
But, while Abraham is firing, Chelsea are suffering from defensive issues as they have the second-worst record in the Premier League after conceding nine goals in the first four league games.
Lampard has focused on the positives so far in his early time back in west London, but he chose not to protect his players following Kurt Zouma's 89th-minute own goal against the Blades that saw two points slip as he aims to improve his side tactically.
"I wasn't happy. I was not overly happy with the first half," he added. "I thought they gifted us two goals. I thought our performance was okay. I felt we were in a dangerous position. I was very clear about that. It wasn't a happy half-time.
"The warning signs were there in my opinion and we didn't react to that on the pitch. No, [it wasn't the fault of individuals]. It was general. I thought generally we had to move the ball quicker. We were taking too much time.
"We worked a lot on Sheffield United and their style of play and how we could move the ball to give them problems. I don't think we were doing it as I wanted us to do it and I think that was a contributing factor. I was feeling we were slow in possession that was giving them opportunities.
"I saw it coming. If we were to go out and make a mistake, it wasn't bad in the first half, but there were signs that we needed to tighten up. That was the message. I am asking for different things in the way we play and the movement of the ball.
"There have been signs in all our games, but not enough as far as I am concerned. Everyone has different reasons, younger players have to grow up and older players worry about themselves as well as helping others.
"[N’Golo] Kante will help because he is world class. We all know that. It is healthy for him to have a two-week, not rest, but recuperation from his injury. He is a big plus for us. Some of the injuries that are coming back so the two-week break will help us to that degree."