Hudson-Odoi and Reece James are leading Lampard's changing of the guard

As Jamie Carragher once cruelly put it: no kid wants to grow up to be Gary Neville. You would imagine few young forwards dream of emulating Carlton Cole, either.

Fortunately for Reece James and Callum Hudson-Odoi, those comparisons should not prove much of a burden. And not because the bar has been set particularly low.

After all, Neville is one of this country's finest ever right backs and Cole was 233 days younger than Hudson-Odoi when he netted his first Premier League goal for Chelsea.

But together this pair are forging their own, very promising paths.

James, the elder statesmen at 20, is among a generation redefining the role of full back. Nineteen-year-old Hudson-Odoi, meanwhile, is starting to show why Chelsea made him one of the world's best-paid teenagers.

At Stamford Bridge on Saturday, they lined up together on the Blues' right flank. On the opposite side were Cesar Azpilicueta and Willian. It was a powerful illustration of Frank Lampard's changing of the guard.

And as so often this season, masters and pupils played their part. Willian was a constant threat and won the penalty which set Chelsea on their way. Azpilicueta, meanwhile, made last-ditch blocks to deny Jack Cork and Chris Wood before crossing for Hudson-Odoi to net his maiden top-flight goal.

The Chelsea captain may have been a fixture on the right flank in recent years. But his versatility has allowed Lampard to plug a hole at left back, while James's exceptional introduction to top-flight football has made the transition seamless.

No wonder Chelsea are reportedly trying to tie him down to a long-term deal after only 11 Premier League appearances.

'He is a good footballer in terms of his awareness, not just his crosses, which are really eye-catching. He can play,' Lampard said. 'There are obviously things he can improve and defensively we will work with him on the training ground. It was nice to see the combination between him and Callum today. It was a really dangerous one for Burnley and we made good use of it.'

In this 3-0 win, James (10) and Hudson-Odoi (eight) put in eight more crosses than the rest of their team-mates combined.

No Chelsea player created more chances than their three apiece, either. And no defender was given a run around like poor Charlie Taylor. This was not quite the public torture the pair inflicted on Nottingham Forest's Yuri Ribeiro last weekend, but presumably Newcastle's Jetro Willems is hardly counting down the hours until they visit St James' Park.

As with the rest of Lampard's homegrown stars, this burgeoning combination could soon be to England's benefit, too. 'Hopefully,' Lampard said. 'It's the start of the partnership and it needs to be worked on and honed.'

Against Burnley, James and Hudson-Odoi passed to each other 29 times — the third most of any Chelsea pairing. As if to illustrate their manager's point, Willian and Azpilicueta managed 34. 'They both have different talents. When Callum is higher and running at people and being aggressive like he was today, and Reece is behind him, of course it is a big thing,' Lampard said.

Their display should have caught the eye of England manager Gareth Southgate. Hudson-Odoi has already worked his way into the England senior team and it appears only a matter of time before James joins him.

After all, few players have slotted so seamlessly into Premier League and European football. James's only problem? England are rather well-stocked at right back. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier are all jostling for a couple of spots.

'We have a lot of quality in that area,' Lampard said. 'He doesn't need to concern himself with that, he needs to establish himself with what he is doing now. The last few games have done that, but that has to happen over a period of time. I believe in Reece and his quality. If he works hard he will get where he wants to be.'

So, too, will Hudson-Odoi if he continues in this vein. He and James are developing into a crucial component of Lampard's Chelsea revolution. Together, they could soon spread their wings to the world stage.