Former Chelsea player Frank Lampard has stated that the intense competition for places prevented Kevin De Bruyne from establishing himself at Chelsea under Jose Mourinho. The Belgium international began his Premier League career at Stamford Bridge but found opportunities hard to come by at a time when Lampard was still playing. De Bruyne subsequently rebuilt his reputation in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg before Manchester City spent £50million in the summer of 2015 to bring him back to England. Lampard acknowledges that stopping De Bruyne will be essential to Chelsea’s hopes of spoiling Manchester City’s party on Sunday, as they are just three points away from retaining their Premier League title. Lampard has always liked De Bruyne as a player and believes he has become a top-class midfielder. He also respects the fact that De Bruyne left Chelsea to play regular football and has gone from strength to strength, becoming one of the best midfielders of his generation.
