Frank Lampard Says Callum Hudson-Odoi Can Be a 'Serious Player' for Chelsea

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said Callum Hudson-Odoi can be a "serious player" for the Blues after the 19-year-old scored his first Premier League goal in Saturday's 3-0 win over Burnley.

Lampard told reporters after the match:

"For Callum to score in the six-yard box is far more exciting for me than for him to score from 35 yards, without a doubt. Because it means that he's prepared to run the extra bit to sprint in there.

"And that wasn't the only time he did it today, he did it on one of the early chances we had in the first half. He was doing it, recovering, going higher up the pitch at the right times. And his overall performance was an absolute statement for Callum of what he needs to do. 

"That was the real Callum Hudson-Odoi and what he can be, and there's obviously more to come. But I thought his goal was brilliant for him and if he can carry on doing that, then that’s a serious player we have in Callum."

Lampard handed Hudson-Odoi just his fourth Premier League start of the season against Burnley but was rewarded as the youngster scored Chelsea's third goal:

The teenager burst onto the scene last season for Chelsea under Maurizio Sarri but saw his campaign end prematurely in April after he underwent surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Hudson-Odoi had attracted interest from Bayern Munich in the January 2019 transfer window, but Chelsea moved to secure his long-term future by handing him a new five-year deal in September:

The winger netted on his return from injury, scoring in a 7-1 Carabao Cup win over Grimsby in September but had to wait until January's FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest for his next goal.

Hudson-Odoi told Chelsea TV (h/t Goal's James Westwood) he had become "a bit agitated" by his drought and worried that he could suffer a recurrence of his Achilles injury.

The teenager has two goals in his last two appearances for the Blues, but his strike against Burnley is the type that could earn him more playing time, according to Goal's Nizaar Kinsella:

Hudson-Odoi is showing signs of getting back to the type of form that prompted such excitement last year and saw him called into the England squad and win his first cap against the Czech Republic.

There is no doubting Hudson-Odoi's talent and tremendous potential, and if the youngster can deliver the goods on a consistent basis, he has the quality to become a regular in Lampard's starting XI.