Manchester City midfielder, Frank Lampard, has admitted that he was surprised to hear about the news regarding a loan-move back to the Premier League after he had left Chelsea.
The veteran’s contract expired at Stamford Bridge and after they decided not to renew it, the Englishman left the club, ending his incredible career in West London, and agreed to join new MLS side, New York City.
However, with the club not in competitive action until next year, it left Lampard with nothing to do football-wise for several months, and that sparked the interest of Man City, who own the New York-based club.
City then got in contact with Lampard and offered him the chance to join them on loan for a few months, before going back to American to play for his new side, and the Englishman admitted that the offer took him by surprise.
“It’s a funny one for me because my intentions were to have a longer holiday and then train maybe on my own with a fitness coach,” said Lampard.
“I was in pure holiday mode when I got the call to come back here. I’ve had a really good pre-season now. Considering I wasn’t involved in the first few games, that’s been extra training time for me.
“I feel good and I’m just actually really enjoying training and playing. The lads are great, the people behind the scenes have welcomed me, the staff, the manager, Brian Kidd. It’s been an easy transition.”
Lampard then continued to discuss how weird it is playing in England, but not for Chelsea, however, he admitted that it’s a good thing for him to be out of his comfort zone.
“It’s very different,” he added. “I was at Chelsea such a long time that you just go on auto-pilot in the end. You drive in every day, you know everybody behind the scenes.
“It was a tester for me to be honest. I didn’t have to make this decision. But it was a very good opportunity for me to play at this level and train at this level, and it’s a personal test to come up to Manchester.
“I was in very much of a comfort zone at Chelsea. It’s good to test yourself in life.
“All I can say is I am enjoying it. I’ve always been proud of my fitness and trying to keep as fresh as I can. At the end of the day, I’m very fortunate.
“Not many players get the opportunity at 36 to come and play amongst this amount of quality. When you look around the dressing room, there’s so much of it, and it’s an honour to come in and be able to play amongst that.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
