Lampard undecided over Chelsea role

Frank Lampard has said he is undecided about whether his future lies at Chelsea but confirmed the club is helping him to earn his coaching badges.

The 38-year-old retired from football in February after a career in which he won the Premier League title three times, the FA Cup four times, the Champions League and the Europa League with Chelsea, making 648 appearances for the Stamford Bridge club.

Blues manager Antonio Conte said he has “great respect” for Lampard, but stopped short of promising the former England star a place on his coaching team.

When asked about the possibility of becoming a member of the club’s backroom staff, Lampard to Sky Sports: “I don’t know [if I will coach at Chelsea]. Chelsea are helping me now with my badges and I’m thankful for that. As we all know, the badges are a process, it’s not an overnight thing so that will take some time.

“I’ll do some TV bits in that time to keep myself involved and I’m interested in that side of things. It leaves my options open and when you finish, I think it’s important to not make a rash decision right away.

“You have to look at the world, step outside the bubble of a footballer, and make the right decision. Fortunately enough, I have options so it’s about taking the right one.”

Lampard claimed he hasn’t missed the game since playing his last game for New York City in November 2016.

“There’s not much that I miss and I don’t mean that in a bad way. I’ll have fleeting moments but I feel like I’ve given everything like I said before and I feel appreciative of what I did do,” he added.

“I don’t miss the routine at the moment. When you get to your mid to late 30s and you’re surrounded by the young ones who are on social media all the time and you’re starting to think differently to them, you kind of realise that it’s time to move on.”