The Curious Case of Frank Lampard

Remember Frank Lampard? You know that English veteran midfielder that came over from New York City FC‘s sister club Manchester City. He’s the club’s third designated player, if nothing rings a bell, then it’s understandable for several reasons.

The number one reason of them all is that Lampard is nowhere to be found. The case of Lampard is certainly a curious one and may starting to become a problem for NYCFC. The Chelsea legend came over last summer as supposedly the club’s “final piece” and a leader on the field.

Unfortunately, Lampard has been the opposite of that and may have wasted the club’s time. Trust me, it’s not easy at all for someone to say that, but his contract expires in 2017 and most likely won’t trigger an extension. Since joining, Lampard has only appeared 10 times while netting three goals.

In 2016, he hasn’t even touched the field or even make the 18-man roster for Patrick Vieira. He’s still suffering a calf injury that he’s been nurturing from last year and you have to wonder, what’s going on with Lampard?

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Of course, his age is a bit staggering for this level, but that’s not an excuse as we’ve seen Steven Gerrard handle it pretty well. Lampard’s time at the club is running out and it’s still very early in the season, but it just seems as even when he does join, his contribution wouldn’t matter.

Lampard’s been out of the loop so bad that sometimes, we forget he’s our third designated player. It’s an alarming sign and that slot means a lot in this league as it takes up a lot of space in a club’s budget.

Lampard’s playing time is already limited with the overwhelming number of midfielders, especially with impressive performances by Thomas McNamara, Federico Bravo and Mix Diskerud. As Vieira has shown so far, no one is guaranteed a spot in the line-up and we’ve seen this already with Kwadwo Poku.

The Frenchman wants his players to perform and prove to him why they deserve a spot, I don’t think Lampard is anywhere near his plans. Hopefully, I’m wrong about all of this and Lampard’s fitness improves.

Hopefully, he finds his way in the line-up and proves to everyone that he’s not a waste of money and hopefully, he’ll be back to help this club achieve it’s goal.