It is looking increasingly likely that Frank Lampard will be offered the chance to extend his loan stay at Manchester City beyond the current agreement.
When the former England international left his beloved Chelsea after 13 years this summer, he did so whilst claiming it would be difficult for him to play for another English club. So he instead opted to head to the United States and New York City, who are owned by the current Premier League champions who, in turn, were able to persuade him to sign for the Etihad Stadium club until January.
The intention was then for Lampard to return to his parent club ahead of the start of the MLS campaign in March, but it appears as though he is having a bigger impact in Manchester than many expected. The 36-year-old has now played 10 times for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, and he was particularly impressive in their remarkable 3-2 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The former West Ham United youngster played a sensational pass to Sergio Aguero, which resulted in Mehdi Benatia bringing down the Argentine and being shown the red card. His experience is likely to be key when City travel to the Italian capital next month, when victory against Roma would give them a last-16 berth and the chance to continue their quest to be the top team in Europe.
“Chelsea did it. Liverpool did it. It can happen,” Lampard said. “But there is a long way to go to start talking about that. We have still got a game to go to make sure we go through and Rome is a very tough place, a very tough game. So I think we’ll cross that bridge when it comes, if we get through the group. Then you can recharge into the new year and it’s always a bit different then.”
The prospect of helping City in the latter stages of the Champions League, a competition he captained his former club to glory in two years ago, is surely one which will appeal to Lampard. And he also knows he would likely figure more often in the Premier League from January onwards, when Yaya Toure is set to jet off to Equatorial Guinea to represent the Ivory Coast in the African Cup of Nations.
According to The Independent, the midfielder will have a say in whether he extends his time in the north west of England or instead makes his way to New York. But the tabloid understands Lampard is enjoying his time at City more than he expected, and that could well prove to be decisive when Pellegrini asks him to postpone his move to the United States in favour of Manchester.
If he extends his stay, how important can Lampard be to City’s season? Let us know what you think by joining in the discussion below.
