Frank Lampard believes that Brendan Rodgers is destined for the top of the game as the Swansea manager prepares for his return to Stamford Bridge
Frank Lampard believes that Brendan Rodgers is destined for the top of the game as the Swansea manager prepares for his return to Stamford Bridge
Rodgers was reserve team manager at Chelsea and now takes his side to Chelsea next weekend for a Premier League match that almost seemed unthinkable 12 months ago.
And Lampard knows that Rodgers has what it takes to go a long way in the game as he explained to Wales on Sunday “Brendan can go as far as he wants,” said Lampard who himself spent a period on loan at Swansea at the start of his career.
“He’s young, he’s educated and he can speak different languages. He’s a real professor of the game in the making.
“He’s also has a great character. For me, I hope he does very well at Swansea this year.
“In the long-term future, he can go anywhere he wants.
“He was very highly-regarded at Chelsea. He was working with the youth and reserve teams but he also had a lot of interaction with the first team and everyone respected him from then.
“It was blatantly obvious from then that he was going to go onto better things
“A clever man who had worked under Mourinho would have obviously taken a lot of stuff from him. Brendan certainly did that. But he has gone out on his own and he’s had success.
“He did that at Watford, it didn’t go so well for him at Reading and we may not have heard about him had he had a weaker character.
“But he’s come back from that. He’s certainly his own man.
“I’ve got a lot of time for Brendan and I’m really pleased he has done well.
“I do keep in touch with Brendan.
“I have been impressed with what he has done, but I’m not surprised in the slightest.
“From the minute he started at Chelsea, you could see there was something special about him.
“His attention to detail, the way he wanted to play the game and his character – he has a great personality. For me, the best managers show how they can deal with players and get the best out of players.
“What Brendan did at Swansea last year was nothing short of incredible.
“He will never lose his method and his way and his thoughts on playing the game.
“That is something everybody respects, they really do."