Mason Mount admits he has nothing 'but praise and gratitude' for former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.
The club legend was sacked on Monday after just 18 months in the Stamford Bridge hotseat and replaced by former Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel.
The 22-year-old spent the 2018/19 season on loan at Derby under Lampard, before returning to Chelsea to flourish under him for the last couple of seasons.
Now speaking to Chelsea's official website, Mount insists that despite his sacking, he is grateful for what Lampard has given him and declared that he 'means a lot' to him.
'He's been very important to me,' Mount said.
'He brought me to Derby, gave me the playing time and I learnt so much under him there before coming back to Chelsea and continuing my learning.
'I have nothing but praise and gratitude for everything he's given me as a player on and off the pitch. I've definitely grown as a player as well so he obviously means a lot to me.'
New Chelsea manager Tuchel took his first training session with the squad on Tuesday ahead of their first game under him against Wolves on Wednesday.
The Blues have lost five of their last eight top-flight games and sit 10th in the table ahead of the visit of the West Midlands outfit.
And Mount has called on the 'strong characters' within the side to now step up and lead the team out of their current slump.
'We have to put things to the back of our heads and look forward now,' he added.
'As players, as a team and as a club, we have to stick together and hopefully get back to winning ways because that's what this club is all about.
'It's a difficult time but that's when the strong characters within the group come out and lead us in the right direction.
'We have to be strong because there are massive games coming up and we need to attack them.'