Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is ready to turn to centre-back Antonio Rudiger once again after the pair met for constructive face-to-face talks at the weekend.
The German has yet to play any football this season and has been part of the matchday squad just three times in all competitions, including Chelsea’s last two matches against Sevilla and Manchester United.
Rudiger has yet to play this season / Mark Atkins / Getty Images
He appeared to have fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge, with Thiago Silva, Kurt Zouma, Fukui Tomori and Andreas Christensen ahead of him in Lampard’s estimations, leading to strong rumors of a summer move away. were
After failing to break out like this, Rudiger kept his head down and continued to train well, and according to The Telegraph, Lampard has been impressed by the German’s professionalism and work rate.
The pair met for crunch talks at the weekend and Rudiger was feeling optimistic about his chances of returning to the first team sometime in the near future.
The Daily Mail go a step further and suggest that a regular role in the squad looks likely, with Lampard ready to call upon the 27-year-old once again.
There is no indication as to when Rudiger could feature, but Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Krasnodar is seen as a possible opportunity as Lampard looks to make some changes to his starting XI.
This is the type of game that Silva, 36, can afford to rest, while Zouma has also played plenty of minutes recently and could benefit from a breather.
Silva can be rested against Krasnodar/Michael Regan/Getty Images
Both Christensen and Tomori will compete a bit for a chance to play. The former’s last two matches ended in 3-3 draws with West Brom and Southampton and they will be desperate to put things right, while Tomori has featured just three times in all competitions.
Keeping all of his centre-backs happy is something Lampard has previously admitted is no easy challenge, so he is expected to rest one of his favorite pairings on Wednesday.
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