Frank Lampard admits he's 'always been' a 'huge fan' of Man City star Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish is thriving under Pep Guardiola's tutelage in the same way Jose Mourinho turbocharged Frank Lampard's playing career, according to the Chelsea manager.

Grealish has been outstanding in his second season at Manchester City, who host Chelsea today, and has overtaken Lampard's record as the English player to create most chances in a Premier League campaign.

Although there were doubts about the former Villa player's suitability in the City side following his transfer in 2021, Grealish has shown why Guardiola was prepared to break the British transfer record for the £100m man.

'I love Jack Grealish, I'm a huge fan and always have been,' said Lampard.

'You watch players come through, especially when they are young English players with quality and personality, and he has both of those in abundance.

'In the last year or two, there were a lot of eyes on the price Manchester City paid for him and big question marks to a degree, whether that was right or wrong.

'But he has taken his game forward in terms of his work ethic off the ball and being part of the team structure they have there. And what he does on the ball is always improving.

'With his awareness and his skill, he has been a real credit to himself and to the team. If you don't show what needs to be done on the pitch, you won't get in the team there. Not all players react well to that situation and Jack has reacted absolutely brilliantly. He's a top-class player.'

Lampard pointed out he was in a different situation when Mourinho arrived at Chelsea in 2004, having been signed from West Ham for a big fee two years earlier, but still admits the Portuguese manager transformed his career.

Chelsea won the title in each of Mourinho's first two seasons and Lampard was voted Footballer of the Year before going on to become the club's all-time record goalscorer.

'I'd been at Chelsea a couple of years before Jose got here. He certainly affected me in a positive way, more my mentality and confidence. He made me a bit more self-confident and then he created a very good but simple structure that really suited me and meant I could be a box-to-box midfield player. That was the plus I had there.

'With Jack, only he and Pep would know that story exactly, how it works. It's a credit to them both, obviously, but for this one it's full credit to Jack because he is the one who has reacted in such a positive way and now he looks a really complete player.'

Lampard was also full of praise for Guardiola. 'Knowing Pep a little, and having watched him work for a couple of days after I finished playing, and having gone against his teams, it's clear that he has an incredible football brain and an amazing work ethic. If I can try to follow that in my own way, that's the best that I can do.'

His second stint as Chelsea manager, this time as an interim appointment, will come to an end next weekend and Lampard says he has nothing else lined up. 'I'm always thinking about what's next for me. I think that's pretty normal. But at the same time, I'm focusing here.

'There's nothing concrete for me, I can say that. I will get on with my job here for the next 10 days or so and then probably consider that much more.'

Lampard revealed that Carney Chukwuemeka may be allowed to join up with the England squad after next Sunday's final Premier League games if they are still involved in the under-20 World Cup, which kicked off this weekend.

Chelsea refused to release the former Villa midfielder for England's group games this week against Tunisia, Uruguay and Iraq, but if they make the last 16, Chukwuemeka could fly out to Argentina to join them.

The midfielder has played only 240 minutes this season, but Lampard plans to use him in Chelsea's remaining three games.

'He's a Chelsea player and we have injuries in that area. It was a big move for him and he hasn't managed to get many minutes, but hopefully there's an opportunity for him in these three games.

'Where we have lost players we need him to stay. There's a possibility he can join up at the end of the season if the England get through to the next stages so that might mean the best of both worlds in an ideal way.

'But he is our player and we had to make that decision. I felt a bit for Carney, he was keen to go, but at the same time what happened meant he had to stay.'