Chelsea manager Frank Lampard believes Tammy Abraham can become a regular with the Blues this term after showcasing the hunger for goals elsewhere. The England international notched 26 goals in the Championship with Aston Villa last term and his progress has been rewarded with a regular role with the Blues in pre-season.

Abraham recently bagged the opening goal in the 2-1 friendly triumph over Barcelona and speaking after that game, Lampard said that the striker has the opportunity to make the mark with the first-team, he quipped: “Tammy's a goalscorer and he's hungry for goals. Now it's his time to prove it for Chelsea. To get his goal will put him in good stead. I won't get carried away with anything about this performance.”

Elsewhere, club graduate Mason Mount has made a strong impression with the Blues on pre-season and he has been particularly impressive with the distribution in the final third. When pressed about the midfielder’s progress, Lampard suggested that the 20-year-old should make the breakthrough with the club next term, he added: “Mason's had a great trip and he's announced himself into the first-team squad."

Chelsea have witnessed a few hiccups in terms of the defensive performances during pre-season but that may not necessarily concern Lampard, given the regular rotation of players. Nonetheless, the 41-year-old needs to sort out the best combination during the forthcoming pre-season games, considering the club have a testing challenge against Manchester United on the road to start the league campaign.

The west London giants are presently without the services of Antonio Rudiger, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek through long-term injuries but they could have N’Golo Kante back in the squad ahead of the season opener. The Frenchman has been struggling with a knee problem since the end of last term, but Lampard remains hopeful that the midfielder will return to training by next week.