Why Frank Lampard Remaining at Manchester City Would Be a Great Move

Frank Lampard shook off the thigh injury that forced him to miss five matches in all competitions for Manchester City when he returned for a substitute's appearance against Queens Park Rangers over the weekend.

Lampard did not have much of an impact against QPR, but then aside from Sergio Aguero neither did any of his teammates.

As the calendar-year's end draws nearer, so does the putative end of Lampard's loan from Major League Soccer's New York City FC to City. "The original loan from NYCFC to its parent club, Manchester City, is slated to expire Jan. 1—a few weeks before NYCFC begins training camp," wrote Stefan Bondy in the New York Daily News.

For his part, Lampard has repeatedly demurred at the prospect of extending his time in Manchester. "All I can say is how much I'm enjoying it at City," Lampard said recently per City's website. "I'm contracted here until the end of December and my future will be at New York City at some stage."

Here are some reasons why he ought not rush out of England when the loan term is set to expire.

Lampard Is Still a Relevant Footballer as Long as He Plays in the Premier League

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Drogba and Lampard are drinking from the same fountain of youth.

Perhaps no one but Lampard himself believed the man had a moment like his goal against Chelsea at the Etihad in September left in his career. But he did.

Likewise, the thought that he could reel off four goals in three matches was probably not on anyone's mind. Lampard did that too.

Despite the injury setbacks, Lampard has proven during this loan spell that, no matter what Jose Mourinho thinks, Lampard still belongs on a Premier League roster and has a lot of very good football left.

Lampard should not rush to spend the best months (years?) he has left playing on converted American football fields and synthetic playing surfaces in the States.

The Situation at New York City FC Promises to Be Challenging at Best

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Reyna and the NYC FC brass will spin things positively, but it could be ugly at the outset.

New York City FC's long-term prospects are probably exceptionally bright. The club has Manchester City's money and organizational structure behind it, and eventually New York City FC will have its own park to play in.

For now, though, Lampard has to look with a hard eye at exactly what he would be leaving City to join.

New York City FC presently have six players listed on their website. Even in MLS, you need 11 to play. Of those six, Lampard and David Villa are recognizable names, but beyond them New York City FC project to be like any other expansion club in their first year or two.

That is, they are probably going to be pretty bad.

And Yankee Stadium is great for baseball and suitable for the occasional summer friendly, but a full season of sharing that field with a baseball team could play havoc on Lampard's already gimpy legs.

City Do Not Need Lampard to Do All That Much for Him to Be Valuable to Them

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Lampard will probably have to carry NYC FC, unlike his role with City.

Once Lampard gets to New York, the demands on him from a footballing perspective figure to become much more severe than what he is presently used to at City.

New York City FC manager Jason Kreis will do what he can to get Lampard the rest he needs, but as thin as the squad projects to be Kreis will need Lampard to carry the club when he can.

As long as Lampard stays at City, though, he can continue to play a half an hour here and 50 minutes there and still be useful. For that matter, once David Silva is back to full strength, Lampard might be deployed more often in the late-game substitute's role that suited him so well against Chelsea.

Lampard's spot at City is pretty well perfect for both player and club right now. Why mess with a good thing?

1 Way or Another, City May Yet Play in Europe This Season

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Does Lampard really want to pass on another chance to play in Europe?

This particular reason for Lampard to stay at City a while longer would have been a lot more convincing if City had found a way to take more than one point from their two matches with CSKA Moscow.

With just two points in Group E of the Champions League and only two matches left to play, City will need something approaching a miracle to qualify for the knockout round this season.

The Europa League is cold comfort, but the fact remains that City are very much alive in their quest (however halfhearted) to earn the third spot in Group E and a place in the Europa League tournament.

However it turns out for City, the matches they are likely to play in Europe must have greater allure to Lampard than a Saturday afternoon match with, say, the Philadelphia Union.

Rage Against the Dying of the Light

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It is difficult to see Lampard coming back to England after he leaves City.

Maybe the biggest reason for Lampard to extend his loan stay with City is this: He may never pass this way again.

New York City FC's season will extend into October 2015. Even assuming full health, it is hard to imagine that Lampard, who will turn 37 in June, could return to the Premier League in 2015/16 in any capacity after playing a full season in MLS.

This is Lampard's Moonlight Graham moment. Once he leaves England, it is exceptionally unlikely that he will ever play there in a meaningful competition again.

As Lampard noted, his future is in New York. But his present is in Manchester, and he should live in this time for as long as he can.