He also confirms there is an option to extend Thiago Silva's contract by another year a news that was reported by Niajacrawl yesterday.

On the death of the football Icon, Lampard says Diego Maradona was his idol growing up: 'He was the player on the world stage that made me fall in love with the game. I was fortunate to meet him very briefly, he was a footballing god and it is very sad.'

Meanwhile, Lampard says beating Tottenham twice last season is not relevant for Sunday's game. He notes they strengthened their squad in the summer, and their start to the season - and their line-up last night - has shown the depth of it.

Lampard says healthy competition is vital to help players push each other throughout the season. He says if it is a problem for him to pick the starting XI, that is a positive.