Callum Hudson-Odoi Can Be Central for Chelsea and England, Says Frank Lampard

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has backed Callum Hudson-Odoi to be a central figure for club and country following a period of speculation suggesting the Blues winger could leave Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea academy graduate Hudson-Odoi is in the final year of his deal with the club, but Lampard told reporters that he believes the 18-year-old can play a significant role in his first season at the helm:

“He [Hudson-Odoi] is going to be central for us on the pitch and that is the opportunity that is really in front of him now,” Lampard told reporters. “So that's what I will speak to him about and I hope he stays.

“I am not going say things that are pie in the sky. I am not going to say: 'This is all going to be your way'. But knowing his talent he can be central to this team, he can be central to an England team.

“I am going to say I want to work with him, I want to drive him forward. I want to improve him as a player and he can show right here at Chelsea, the club he came through the academy at, that he is going to be an absolute world-class player – because I truly believe that.”

Hudson-Odoi found first-team chances limited under Lampard's predecessor, Maurizio Sarri, but he'll be hoping to receive more senior minutes now that the Italian has departed to join Juventus.

The twice-capped England international played 416 minutes in the UEFA Europa League last term—his biggest involvement in any first-team competition—and demonstrated his effective dribbling, per WhoScored.com:

Bayern Munich were the club most closely linked with a move for Hudson-Odoi during the January transfer window, but Lampard had little knowledge of those dealings: "I don't know what the position was too much last year. What I do know that before Callum got injured you could certainly see when he got opportunities he was playing well. He was showing the player that he is."

German football writer Manuel Veth recently cited a report from Kicker and said Die Roten remain interested in Hudson-Odoi, who is yet to sign a new deal in west London:

It also didn't help that Hudson-Odoi's season was brought to an early end after he ruptured his Achilles tendon during a 2-2 draw against Burnley in April.

That being said, he posted a positive update regarding his improving fitness in late June:

Lampard made great use of the youth at his disposal during his sole season in charge of Derby County last term, when he took the Rams to sixth in the Championship. That included 20-year-old Mason Mount and defender Fikayo Tomori, 21, both of whom were signed on loan from Chelsea.

The Blues' transfer ban means they won't be able to register new players this summer, though Christian Pulisic—whose move from Borussia Dortmund was agreed in the winter—will offer new competition out wide.

Eden Hazard's move to Real Madrid has left a vacancy for another star to shine at Chelsea, and Lampard's comments suggest he envisions Hudson-Odoi in that leadership role.