Lampard in awe of Silva's Chelsea impact as he looks to keep 'incredible' Kante fit

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has singled out Thiago Silva for his "big impact" since arriving at the club. 

The veteran defender scored his first goal for the Blues on Saturday as they came from behind to defeat Sheffield United 4-1 in the Premier League. 

Despite a shaky debut, Silva has since impressed in Chelsea's defence with Lampard's side conceding just once across their past six matches in all competitions. 

Lampard always expected Silva to be a success at Stamford Bridge but he has been blown away by the 36-year-old's conduct on and off the pitch. 

"I knew the player that he was when he came here because of the career he had," Lampard said in a post-match press conference. 

"He played in the Champions League final a few weeks before coming here, but his level of performance since he’s been here, without much of a pre-season, the influence, individual performance, the way he is between games, he attacks training so diligently.

"He looks at opposition when we are having meetings, he wants to know. So I have a lot of conversations with him. He has been brilliant, I can’t say enough about him. Then he gets the goal today, a very good goal. He has made a big impact.

"I am very open to make sure we give him the best rest in between and make things easy for him. He looks fit, he is fit, he’s fresh and he is helping and rubbing off on others around him. Long may that continue."

N'Golo Kante also impressed for the Blues on Saturday as the Frenchman claimed an assist and completed a game-high three tackles. 

There was speculation Kante was close to leaving Chelsea over the summer, but Lampard has stressed his importance to the side and revealed his own efforts to ensure the 29-year-old remains fit. 

“He played about 50 per cent of the games last year and that is a big loss for half the season, a player of his level," Lampard said. 

"So I made a big, big step to try to manage his training and games and make sure that we attempt to have him fit and ready for as many games as we can.

"His attributes are incredible, he can play in many positions in the midfield. The energy and ability to win the ball back, but also his ability on the ball, which is sometimes underrated, is amazing. He can play in different roles.

"People always want to talk about that he’s the best defensive midfielder and should be in a deeper role. But he can play in lots of different roles to massive effect and I am pleased he is fit now. We will have to keep managing that to make sure he stays fit, because he is massively important.”