Frank Lampard calls up captain of Chelsea’s U14 squad to train with under-performing first team
Frank Lampard calls on the captain of Chelsea’s UNDER-FOURTEEN team to train with their underperforming first team in a remarkable show of confidence
- Youngster Charlie Holland trained with the Chelsea first team on Thursday
- Lampard felt it appropriate to call up a youth player who had nothing left to play for
- Holland went through the gears with Joao Felix and Conor Gallagher, among others
Frank Lampard called up the Chelsea Under-14 captain for senior training on Thursday after the youngster was spotted going through the gears with first-team stars at Cobham.
Teenager Charlie Holland trained alongside the likes of Joao Felix, Thiago Silva, Conor Gallagher and Raheem Sterling following a shock promotion from Lampard ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest.
Holland, who captained the Blues’ Under 14s to Albert Phelan Cup South success earlier this month, first enjoyed a light jog with the team as he appeared to share a few words with Gallagher – a former member of the academy from Chelsea.
In images from Thursday’s trainingthe Under-14 starlet was then seen alongside £88 million star Mykhailo Mudryk and a host of other players as they waited for their next practice.
Lampard is a renowned advocate of young talent having spent the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori during his first stint as Chelsea boss.
Frank Lampard called up Chelsea’s Under-14 captain Charlie Holland (second from right) for senior training on Thursday
Holland was seen sharing a few words with Conor Gallagher (fifth from left) as he went through the gears with first-team stars at Cobham
The youngster trained with Lampard’s men ahead of their clash with Nottingham Forest
He was next to £88 million signing Mykhailo Mudryk (third from right)
And the agent is clearly an admirer of Holland having shown a remarkable degree of confidence by calling on him to train with the first team.
While academy stars are often called up for training, this award is usually handed out to players under the age of 21 or under 18. However, the Netherlands were given the chance to participate in a warm-up alongside Champions League and World Cup winners before taking the full training session firsthand.
With virtually nothing left to play for this season while he was 11th in the Premier League and out of every cup competition, Lampard probably decided there was no better time to give one of the club’s youth players a rare taste of the training of the first team.
It has been a disastrous campaign for Chelsea overall, despite co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali spending around £600m on new signings over the summer and January period.
They’ve had four different head coaches – with Lampard taking charge after Bruno Saltor briefly held the fort following the firing of Graham Potter, who replaced Thomas Tuchel last September – and failed to integrate an overwhelming number of recruits amid poor form on the field.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to replace Potter as Chelsea’s new permanent manager this summer, with Lampard remaining caretaker until the end of the current season.
Lampard ended a dismal streak of six straight defeats after taking his first win as temporary Blues boss last weekend.
His side scored twice in the last eight minutes to claim a 3–1 win at Bournemouth and mathematically avoid relegation from the Premier League.
Holland led Chelsea’s Under 14s to victory in the Albert Phelan Cup South this month
Lampard called him up for senior training towards the end of a disastrous season for the Blues