Reece James Hails Frank Lampard for Showing Faith in Chelsea's Youth

Reece James has hailed Frank Lampard for the faith he is showing in Chelsea's young players, saying it is "great for the academy" how many graduates have been on show under the new manager.

The Blues have long had one of the most successful academies in England and won the FA Youth Cup five seasons running from 2013-18.

But there have been few academy players under recent Chelsea managers who have made the step up to the first team or even been given many chances to prove themselves at the top level.

That has changed under Lampard, who has made Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori key players in his squad this term:

And for Chelsea's 7-1 Carabao Cup victory over Grimsby Town at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, Lampard handed five players their senior debuts, including James, who made the most of it by netting the Blues' fifth goal:

The full-back praised Lampard for his faith in youth after the match, and he picked him out as one of his idols while he was growing up, per MailOnline's Jeorge Bird:

"If you look at the past few years, there probably isn't as many who have played. Out there today there were four or five of us that got on the pitch. That's great for the academy, it shows the level and standard there is very good.

"When I was young I supported the club and still do now. I probably looked up to [Didier] Drogba, [John] Terry, Lampard. They were the main three leaders. It helped drive the team back then when I was a little kid. They were all winners. That was reflected in the trophies they won."

James added he was "glad" to be getting a chance in the side after being unsure about his future following a successful loan spell with Wigan Athletic in the Championship last term.

Lampard has, in part, been forced into playing some of Chelsea's untested stars this term due to the Blues' transfer ban.

Given his history with the club, though, it is also clear he relishes the successes the likes of Abraham, Mount and Tomori have enjoyed so far this term.

It is also endearing him even further to the Stamford Bridge faithful, who gave him and his team huge support after Sunday's clash with Liverpool despite the 2-1 defeat:

Chelsea will hope to get back to winning ways in the English top flight when they host Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

The Seagulls started the new campaign brilliantly under new manager Graham Potter when they beat Watford 3-0 away.

Since, though, they have not won in five matches, and Chelsea will be confident they can pick up a necessary win.