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Frank Lampard has said he is excited for the battle between Tammy Abraham and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to earn a place in England’s attack.
Although Abraham emerged as a challenger to Harry Kane after scoring 18 goals for Chelsea last season, he has found himself behind Calvert-Lewin in the pecking order during England’s last two camps. The Everton forward has been in excellent shape this season, scoring 16 goals for the club and the country, and Lampard will not underestimate the threat from the 23-year-old when Chelsea visit Goodison Park on Saturday night.
“It is an exciting battle,” Lampard said. “I profess my love for Tammy enough sitting here. He’s my player. Talking about an opposition player is a bit different, but what I respect about Calvert-Lewin is that, and this is by far because I don’t know him, it feels like a career he’s really worked on. That sounds simple but it is not an easy path.
“Not everyone makes their first team at 17 or 18, except for the Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen types of the world. Other players have to find different paths and now he has shown, last season and particularly this season, he is consistently a complete forward. Every part of your game is a real threat.
“He has rightly joined the England team and has adapted to that, so he is a big threat for us this weekend and for Everton in the future. That’s why he has scored so many goals, so clean for him. It is a good challenge for England to have some forwards competing and he has thrown himself into that question.
Lampard feels Chelsea have been toughened up since their last trip to Everton ended in a 3-1 loss, with two goals from Calvert-Lewin. Duncan Ferguson took over that game, with Carlo Ancelotti yet to be named, and Chelsea was physically overwhelmed.
“It was an experience for the players, one that we didn’t handle well,” Lampard said. “I felt like we were getting into a physical game and they beat us on that front. I’d like to think we’ve made progress since then. “
